A Catgirl Gamer in Remnant
by devilnightking100
Summary: Basically me trying my hand at a Gamer fic. Allison N Rouge is given the Gamer ability and is launched into the world of Remnant. Now she's gonna start making mischief as she makes her way through the life of a huntress. T to start, may go to M depending on a few things. Eventual OCxNeo, some Arkos and Nuts and Dolts, the obvious Renora, others pending.
1. Creating Character

_**This one's been bugging me for a while. Hope you guys enjoy the story. Also, I don't usually do first person narratives, so please be nice.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I can still remember what had happened that day. I had just gotten dumped for the umpteenth time because my girlfriend got sick of my catgirl habits. I've always been like that, and she thought it was cute when we started going out! Guess this kitty's destined to be alone in this world. Oh well, I have a nice glass of milk with my name on it when I get home! With the thought in my head, I skipped home and pushed the thought of my recent break up out of my head.

It was that night while I was getting ready for bed. I had just taken my cat ears and tail off and changed into my kitten paw pajamas, grabbing my clothes to lay them out for the next day when the room began spinning. And I don't mean like how your head spins when you've got a bad headache, I mean stuff flying everywhere spinning. My room started to vanish as it continued spinning and I clutched my clothes and my stuffed kitten Mister Mittens as my lifeline.

Before long, all I saw was a black void everywhere I looked. It was only a few seconds after that that the strange little message appeared in front of me. It read as follows:

 **Welcome customer. Due to extensive research into the citizens of your town and careful consideration, you have been chosen by FutureGamesInc to participate in the new Gamer program. This will grant you the ability to live as an RPG character. As your world is unsuited for the specifications of the Gamer, you will be teleported to another world more qualified. If this is okay, please hit the Continue button. If not, please hit the Back button and you will be returned to your previous location.**

The two buttons flashed in front of me. I almost didn't have to think about it. My girlfriend just dumped me, my family and I have...issues and I'm not even talking to them, and the girlfriend was really my only friend other than the cat stuffy I was still holding. I really had nothing going for me here so the decision was easy. I hit the Continue button and a new text box appeared.

 **After analyzing your body, we have set a pre-made templet of skills.**

 **Race: Human**

 **Gender: Female**

 **Class: None**

 **Sub-class: None**

 **Title: New Player- no special effect**

 **HP: 36**

 **SP: 40**

 **STR: 20**

 **VIT: 15**

 **DEX: 30**

 **INT: 25**

 **WIS: 5**

 **LUC: 25**

 **Free Points: 0**

 **Is this acceptable? Yes. No.**

I smiled as I looked at it. It seemed about right. I'm a fairly strong cat, and I was the fastest person on my track team by a decent margin. Sure my naivety could put SpongeBob to shame, but I was pretty book-smart to make up for it. I was also told I was one lucky little cat, despite the black hair. I tapped the Yes button before a third box appeared.

 **We must mention that if you die in your new Gamer Body, there will be no respawns. If you still wish to continue, please enter your name below.**

I rolled my eyes as I looked at the blank line. It was kinda nice they were giving me a last chance to back out, but I wasn't scared. I thought about the name for a second before I decided on the name that terrorized the world of MMORPG games everywhere.

 **Allison N Rouge.** I hit the enter and the last text box appeared.

 **Welcome to your new life. Use it well.**

The world went white and when I opened my eyes, I was in a room. Not mine, but a bedroom nonetheless. I looked around to see what seemed to be makeshift bunkbeds. On one side, there was a bed suspended from the roof by rope, and one right under it. On the other side, two beds were stacked up with books supporting the gaps between. Wait a minute. I _know_ this setting. The door opened behind me and I as I turned, I was confronted with the confused and suspicious faces of Team RWBY. I could only think of one thing to say. "Sup?"

 ** _And done. Well, that's the first chapter. I'll probably end up typing at least a few chapters before actually posting this one ad post them in a week or two. Well, what did you guys think? A decent start? What do people think of my Gamer so far? I usually RPG as a chick because they tend to be freaking hot, which is why my oc is a girl this time. I'll be getting more into her appearance and her character theme at a later date, until then, see you guys later!_**


	2. Game on

_**I wasn't going to post this till next Tuesday, but the reviews about missing my chance to make her a Faunus are really getting annoying so here you go.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Yang was on me in an instant. Lifting me by the collar of my pjs, she glared at me with red eyes. "Who are you and how did you get into our room?" she demanded.

I got the feeling if I didn't answer soon I'd regret it so I answered quickly. "Well, my name is Allison N Rouge, but you can call me Allie if that's easier for you." I explained. "As for how I got her I guess I was kinda...dropped off?"

"You don't expect us to believe that, right?" Wiess asked, glaring at me.

My HUD flashed with a message.

 **You have received a Quest.**

 **Convince Team RWBY you mean no harm ()**

 **Meet with Professor Ozpin ()**

 **Apply to Beacon ()**

Well that was interesting. I finished reading and looked at Weiss. "Well I can see how that wouldn't be believable, could you put me down? In case you haven't noticed, I'm rather underdressed for an assassin or something."

Ruby looked me over and nodded at her sister. Yang let me down and I rubbed my neck, noticing my first objective marker was checked off. "Well, I guess I should start by telling you how I got here." So I explained how I had been taken from my world and given a new ability, leaving out the part about them being a web series I enjoyed on weekends as I thought they would call me crazy and ship me to some asylum.

"It seems like she's telling the truth." Blake pointed out as soon as I had stopped talking.

"Team huddle." Ruby declared, the four girls retreating and whispering. I figured while they discussed things I should check things on my HUD. I saw a Skill List and selected that one, don't ask me how, I'm still not sure how it works. Turns out I had a few skills programed in. First I saw was Danger Sense which is probably why I knew how Yang would react while she was holding me in the air like I weighed nothing.

I noticed a second skill that I began using almost immediately after reading the description.

 **Modification**

 **Description: Allows small changes on a character (Either you or another friendly character). Nothing big, but cosmetic or small functional modifications can be made(Example: wolf ears, slitted eyes, or deer antlers)**

I activated that skill and felt two black cat ears appear on my head, followed by a sleek tail I wrapped around my waist, making it look like a fuzzy belt, and my eyes slitted. I grinned. I was a real catgirl now. A message flashed.

 **Due to specific modifications and the world you're now in, your race has been changed to Cat** Faunus **. Your abilities have been updated.**

 **Darkvision (Race skill)**

 **Description: Allows you to see in almost pitch darkness.**

I smiled as the notification flashed out of my vision, making a note to look over my skills more often. I could have done this from the start! It seemed I was just in time as RWBY came back over to me. Everyone looked at me strangely. "Did you have those when we went to huddle?" Ruby wondered.

"Nope, but it seems my Gamer ability gave me a Modification skill that gave me the chance to turn myself into a Cat Faunus. I took the chance since in my old world I wore them anyway. Now they're just real instead of cotton. Nya~"

"You're really into the whole stereotypical catgirl thing, aren't you?" Yang asked dryly. I nodded happily. "I guess you are purr-fect at it." Everyone, myself included, groaned at the horrible pun.

"Leave the cat puns to me please." I sighed as I stood. "Well, what's the verdict?" I asked, testing my new ears as I moved them around.

"Well, after careful consideration, we've decided to take you to the headmaster and he'd decide what to do with you." Ruby replied.

I shrugged. "Mind if I change first? It would be kinda embarrassing if the headmaster saw me in my kitty paw pajamas." I got the go-ahead and I changed to my Taco Cat shirt and skinny jeans before coming back out. "Ready, meow." I declared, holding my hands in a cat paw style.

...

The elevator opened and I looked inside Ozpin's office. Wow, it was bigger in person, even with those gears spinning above our heads. From what I saw outside, it wasn't like we were bugging him. It was evening so, going by my own experience as an office assistant, Oz would have been just finishing any work he actually did. The gray-haired trollmaster was at his desk, looking over a paper of some sort when he noticed us. "Ah, ladies. I assume this is the girl you mentioned earlier?" he asked, gesturing to me.

"That's right, Professor." Ruby replied, pushing me forward.

I just smiled my cat smile and greeted the older-than-anyone-could-guess man. "Hi! I'm Allison N Rouge. But you can call me Allie if that's easier for you." I could _feel_ the eye rolls as I greeted Headmaster Ozpin like I had Team RWBY.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rouge." Ozpin replied, his tone professional if slightly amused. Yeah, that pretty much describes his attitude in general but I had to make a note of it. "Girls, you may go. I wish to speak with our surprise guest privately."

Weiss had to drag Ruby away, but the four girls left. "Well, now what are we gonna talk about? Nya~" I asked.

Ozpin had to take a drink from his coffee mug to avoid chuckling at my attitude before he asked my story. I told him everything I had told RWBY, leaving out the part about what I knew about the world of Remnant for now. "Interesting. And you seem to be adjusting to your situation rather well, all things considered." Ozpin pointed out. "Well, since you seem to have a rather powerful ability, I can't just let you loose on the world. Would you care to enroll in Beacon so I can keep an eye on you?"

I smiled even bigger. "Sure!" I chirped. Then a thought struck me. "Um... how will that work considering I need a team?" I asked.

Ozpin raised an eyebrow and I realized I shouldn't have technically known that. "I'm sure we can work something out until a team can be built for you. Unless you have someone in mind already?"

Truthfully I did. I knew of a certain Ice Cream scoop I've had a crush on for ages, but that would take serious planning as well as the chameleon probably still in Menagerie. But I shook my head. "How would I? I'm new to this world so I really don't know anyone." It wasn't a total lie. Sure I knew stuff about the characters, but I didn't really know anything past what was on screen when I last watched the series. I figured a half-truth was appropriate for the man I was talking to anyway.

"Well, in the meantime, there's a free dorm you can use during your stay here." Ozpin replied, handing me a scroll. "Classes begin on Monday at nine o'clock. You're lucky you appeared on the weekend. Do you need help working that Scroll?"

I shook my head. "I'm sure I can manage." I shrug, opening the scroll and locating my room number. Huh, that isn't too far from RWBY and JNPR's rooms. Oh yeah, I'll have to work some magic with those guys too. "Well, if you need me you know where I'll be." I chirp happily. Ozpin dismissed me and I skipped to the elevator. As soon as I got in, a notification on my HUD.

 **Quest Complete!**

 **Reward: 200 Lien, 200 EXP, 5 HP Potions (minor).**

 **New Quest**

 **Meet Team JNPR ()**

 **Create Weapon ()**

 **Win Practice Match with _()**

I guess I got to fill in that blank later. Oh well, guess I should head to my room. I can work on this new quest in the morning.

...

Morning came and I opened my eyes, stretching like you would expect with my cat-like tendencies. Yep, butt in the air with arms stretched forward. I look around and realize my dream last night wasn't a dream. I'm in Remnant, going to school at Beacon Academy. I smile as I feel my tail wrap around my waist and my ears stand up, listening to some commotion down the hall. Guess it was time to meet the sister team of RWBY.

 _ **And done. Well, that happened. And let's get one thing straight, I don't trust Ozpin farther than I can throw him, but he was a pretty cool dude before Beacon fell. Well, I guess this is the part where I say leave a review and I'll see you guys sometime next week. Until next time!**_


	3. First battle

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I hopped out of my room dressed in my same outfit from last night and smiled, seeing Team RWBY already emerging from their room. "Hey Guys! Sleep well?" I called over.

Ruby looked behind her and saw me, smiling back. "Oh, hey Allie. We slept great, thanks for asking." The adorable reaper replied. What? We've established I'm into girls. Anyway, Weiss regarded me coldly and Blake was... well, Blake.

Yang put a hand on her sister's shoulder and smiled. "Hey, I don't think we introduced ourselves yesterday. I'm Yang, this adorable little girl is my sister, Ruby." she stated, messing up said sister's hair. "Miss Death Glare is Weiss, and Miss silent and brooding is Blake."

"We're perfectly capable of introducing ourselves." Weiss huffed, starting down the hall. "I'm headed to breakfast."

"Weiss, wait up!" Ruby called, hurrying after her partner.

My stomach grumbled as I looked at the remaining half of Team RWBY. "Um... mind if I join you guys? I really don't know anyone else around here." Plus it's a good way to find out where in the series I landed. Or is it when? Meh, whatever. Blake shrugged and Yang happily agreed as the three of us followed the Ice Queen and Red Reaper.

...

"Hey guys!" My view was filled with white and pink and I could only guess one thing. Nora. My gray eyes met with blue ones as the berserker with an infectious smile studied me. "And who might you be?"

"Nora, get out of her face." Ren said dryly, pulling his oldest friend away so I could see the rest of JNPR. Well, Pyrrah's hotter than the animation makes her out to be, and while I'm not stupid enough to try either her or Nora, I have to admit I find myself getting a little lecherous with my thoughts.

"Hey all! I'm Allison N Rouge. But you can call me Allie if it's easier for you." I introduced.

"Like Allie Cat?" Nora asked. I giggled as I nodded.

"I got that nickname a while ago, not that I remember who started the whole thing." I explained. Everyone ate and talked, mostly the two teams asking me questions and I managed to get some of my own in. Turns out I ended up just after Ruby Blake and Sun fought Roman at the docks, so not too far in but still farther than I'd like to get things going how I want. I mentally began planning while keeping up with the questions I was being asked until I noticed the time. "Hey, does anyone know where the... I guess Forge is the word I'm looking for? I need a weapon if I'm gonna last long against a Grimm."

Ruby went 2D chibi mode. "Oh! Can I help design your weapon? PleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePleasePlease!" she begged.

I giggled slightly before turning to the pleading reaper. "Alright, but my design is fairly simple. Just a katana with a reinforced wooden sheathe."

"Why reinforced wood?" Juane asked.

"A little trick I like to do every now and again." I replied quickly. Actually, it was a technique I developed after reading a good RWBY fanfic called Matters of the Heart. "Do you think you can manage something so bland?" I teased the weapons enthusiast.

"Can I at least add a Dust canister so you can light the sword on fire or something?" Ruby asked hopefully. I couldn't say no to that face, so I didn't and the girl was gone.

"I knew she was fast, but damn." I muttered. Unfortunately, I forgot I wasn't the only one with cat ears and Blake shot me a questioning look I pointedly ignored.

"I'd love to take you on when the sword is done." Yang suggested.

"I'd love for you to help me test it." I replied. My Quest Log updated.

 **Meet Team JNPR (X)**

 **Create** **Weapon ()**

 **Win Practice Match with Yang Xiao Long()**

I sighed. Guess I was taking on the sun dragon. Yeah, not looking forward to that. Ruby zipped back after a few more minutes of chatting with the teams with blueprints in hand. She dragged me off with only enough time to say bye to the others.

"So I think I have something good, but I need you to look it over since you're probably gonna try building it anyway." Ruby explained as she pulled me to the Forge. "The Dust canister I suggested is going to go into the hilt of the sword itself," She kept talking, but I was studying the blueprints she was unrolling. Alright, so it was a basic design with a hollowed out hilt for the Dust canister. Easy enough, and the sheathe looked like what I always imagined. "...although I'm not sure why you wouldn't want a gun in the sheathe or something, but hey, your weapon not mine." Ruby continued.

"Well it's mainly in case I run into some magnetic interference." I explained absently, only realizing what I said when Ruby stiffens. "Um... I can explain that."

"No, its fine. You'll tell us when you're ready." Ruby replied with a wide smile. I sighed in relief as we continued to the Forge. I scanned the blueprint again and this time I got a notification when I touched it.

 **Due to a certain action, you have learned a new skill**

 **Create Weapon/Armor(EXP: 0/500)**

 **Description: with a blueprint in inventory, you can create any weapon or armor in a set amount of time. Time for completion and quality of gear varies depending on skill and weapon.**

 **Building sword will take 1 hour. Continue with building?**

I hit the Yes Icon and smile at Ruby. "Thanks, but I think I can take it from here. It'll take about an hour if you want to swing by and check out the finished result." Ruby nodded and spun on her heel, humming her song as she left me to my work.

...

An hour later and the sword was crafted. My HUD flashed.

 **Weapon Creation success! Name Sword?**

I type the name of my new blade, having decided on it when I had first wanted a katana.

 **Name entered: Sekiryuki. Is this correct?**

I hit the yes and clipped Sekiryuki to my belt. The one under my tail, don't worry. Ruby came in with Yang not two seconds later. "Hey, it's done! Nya~" I state, unsheathing the gleaming silver katana. Ruby was star-eyed as she admired the work. "So Yang, still wanna help me test it? Nya~" I sang in challenge.

We were in the practice arena in the next few minutes with RWBY, JNPR, and Goodwitch as the spectators and referee respectively. "Now this is going to be basic tournament rules, the first one who's aura hits the red is the loser." Goodwitch explained. "Are both combatants ready?" Yang and I nod as she takes her fighting stance and I crouch slightly, fingering the handguard on Sekiryuki. I also noticed something new on my bars. I had an Aura gage now. Cool. "Begin!" The buzzer sounded and Yang came at me.

"Yang, get back!" Juane called urgently.

I smirk, my eyes slitting. Guess he figured out what I was doing. "Sword Stance, Batosai!" I called, quickly drawing Sekiryuki and slamming the blade into Yang's side. Yang was sent flying landing sprawled on the edge of the ring. "Sword Stance, Mitsurugi." I called, putting my other hand on the hilt and taking a familiar stance.

Yang got to her feet and glared at me. "What the hell?" she demanded.

"What? Did you think this was my first rodeo?" I asked innocently. "I'm used to a wooden sword, but this thing is so much lighter than my other one that it's easy to transition between Stances. Nya~" My HUD flashed.

 **Due to a certain action, you have unlocked a new skill.**

 **Sword Stance**

 **Description: Allows you to take up a myriad of characters fighting styles while wielding a sword. Sword Stances include Sesshomaru, Mitsurugi, Wilt and Blush, Arturia, Gilded Thorn, and Swallow Tail.**

Makes sense. Those were the only styles I ever studied with any diligence. Back to business, Yang was on me again, punching and kicking as I blocked or dodged her attacks. I decided on a horizontal slash first, followed by a vertical and a spinning kick. Yang's aura dropped again before she scored a couple hits on me.

"Grrr. I am not losing to some newbie!" the blonde brawler yelled, her aura flaring as her eyes went to red and flames engulfed her.

"Guess it's time to up the ante." I mutter, never liking this bit. "Sword Stance, Swallow Tail." I called, setting up for the strike. If I screwed this up I was toast. Possibly literally. Yang rushed me and I executed the attack. "Turning Swallow Strike!" I made the three simultaneous cuts, stopping Yang as she staggered back and the buzzer sounded.

"And the winner is Allison Rouge." Goodwitch declared.

"Allison N Rouge." I corrected. What? The middle initial was important to me. I skipped over to Yang and offered my hand. "Nice job Yang. That last charge would have ended me if I screwed up on my attack."

Yang smiled ruefully as she took it and shook. "Well, I still lost, but don't think you'll beat me so easily next time." the blonde replied. Everyone came to congratulate us on the great fight, but I kinda ignored them for the most part as I looked over my quest rewards.

 **Quest Complete!**

 **Rewards: 200 Lien, 200 EXP, 4 Dust crystals(Fire), 2 health potions(minor)**

 **Level Up!**

I smiled as we all headed out, still chatting about the match and what my stance changes were. Well it was a pretty good start to my new life, but I couldn't forget I have work to do if I didn't want shit to go sideways at the Vytal Fighting Festival.

 _ **And done. Well, what did you guys think? Don't worry, things will (probably) pick up here soon. Not much else to say except leave a review saying what you thought and I'll see you next time!**_


	4. Dungeon Run with Team RWBY

_**I'm trying to come up with a theme song for Allie, anyone got a suggestion?**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I was pretty sure I fell asleep a few times in Port's class. The guy would go on for freaking ever about his exploits, which was fun at first but now it was just annoying. I had been here for about a month, and while the classes were mostly fun, there wasn't much to really DO. Ozpin had asked me to his office a few times to explain my Gamer ability, which I'm pretty sure has taken the place of whatever my semblance was supposed to be, and even though it was subtle, he was trying to press me for information on my own world. Those sessions actually ended up as missions every few times so I was at level fifteen from that, the occasional Grimm hunt at Forever Falls with RWBY and/or JNPR, and that time I barely kept from killing Cardin.

Funny story, I caught him bullying Velvet with his goons and kinda knocked him into a wall with Sekiryuki's sheath before pressing the blade to his throat. From there I just threatened to tell Coco if I ever saw him so much as look at Velvet wrong again and he freaking wet his pants! Not that I blame him, mind you. That fashionista's freaking scary. I didn't even realize that was a mission until after I got my notification, but it was freaking funny.

Anyway, back to the present. I was headed back to my room thinking about how I would get my dream team together. I would have to do a little research into two members, but I still had no idea who would fill the final slot. I opened the door to my room and saw it was occupied. The occupant wasn't anyone from Remnant, I would probably recognize them unless they're one of those shadow people, but this guy was blonde, rather built, and looking incredibly bored. Placing a hand on Sekiryuki, I asked slowly, "Who are you and why are you here?"

The bored man turned to me and put the book he had been reading down. "My name is Jonathan. I guess you could say I'm the Gamemaster. As for why I'm here, I was asked to come since you've reached level fifteen now." he explained. My grip on my sword relaxed but didn't leave entirely. "We at FutureGamesInc have decided that if you so wish, we can create a base of operations for you, accessible by Instant Dungeon and a certain passphrase or key."

I flew to my dresser, taking out a notebook and handing it to the Gamemaster. "This is the notebook that has the plans for my entire base. Think you can make it work?" I asked. Jonathan leafed through the notebook, making hums of approval every now and again. "Well?" I pressed anxiously.

"Yes, we can use this. Do you mind if I take it with me?" Jonathan asked.

"Long as I get it back when you're done." I replied indifferently.

"I should also mention you have access to the Abyss Auction in your menu. You'll be able to buy various power-ups and skills from the Auction." he added.

"Um, I don't exactly have a lot of cash right now." I pointed out. A quest update flashed in my view

 **New quest given.**

 **Emerald Forest Treasury**

 **Locate dungeon in Emerald Forest ()**

 **Find the Ring of the Magi in the innermost portion of the dungeon ()**

 **Kill the guardian of the Ring ()**

The blonde man smiled before vanishing. I felt giddy for getting my base, but I had other things to work on. Pulling out my Scroll, I started browsing the net and I totally didn't hack all the police databases in the four kingdoms to check out what I needed. Smiling at my results, I hopped off my bed and moved to RWBY's dorm.

...

I decided to check my stats before I got to RWBY's dorm I was actually a little surprised.

 **Race: Cat Fanus**

 **Gender: Female**

 **Class: Swordswoman- +(10xLV) with sword skill**

 **Sub-class: None**

 **Title: Alley Cat- +20 to DEX**

 **LV:15**

 **HP: 90**

 **SP: 60**

 **STR: 50**

 **VIT: 38**

 **DEX: 100(80+Mods)**

 **INT: 75**

 **WIS: 10**

 **LUC: 30**

 **Free Points: 10**

Well how bout that? I quickly put half the Free Points in my STR and the other half into my DEX, but other than that things looked pretty good. I'd have to figure out how to get my hands on a sub-class later, but that was for a different day. Right now I was bored and I had a good idea of how to fix that problem. I knocked on the door to my friends' dorm and was greeted with the silver eyes of Ruby. "Hey, you guys busy? Nya~" I asked with my signature smile.

Ruby shook her head and let me into the room. Weiss was studying, Blake was reading Ninjas of Love, which I'm sure is basically smut but I digress, and Yang is doing something on her Scroll, probably playing a game. Ruby sat on her bed and looked at me curiously. "So what's up?" she asked.

My smile changed to a smirk as I spoke. "I got a quest update in Emerald Forest, and I was wondering if you guys wanted to come along. Nya~" Blake glared at me slightly, but I didn't really care. Ruby and Yang looked interested, and Weiss had stopped writing notes, meaning I had her attention as well. "So, you guys wanna come on a dungeon run with me?"

"And just how would there be a dungeon in the Emerald Forest and no one knew about it?" Weiss questioned.

"Gamer ability side effect." I replied, "It wasn't there until I got the quest update." Weiss glared at me skeptically. "Hey, if you guys have other things to do, I have other people I can bug. You were just my first pick." I shrug, internally grinning. That would appeal to both Weiss and Yang's ego, and Ruby would just love an adventure. I'm pretty sure Blake would just come because the rest are, but that remains to be seen.

"I think it sounds like fun." Ruby decided. That's one.

"Let's kick some ass and take some names!" Yang cheered. That's two.

"Well I suppose I should come since you have such confidence in my abilities." Weiss said smugly, crossing her arms over her chest. That's three. Blake just put her book down and grabbed Gambol Shroud. And that's four.

"Let's go!" I cheered, sending a Party Invite to the four girls.

...

After telling Ozpin what was going on, we found ourselves in the Emerald Forest, following my mini-map towards the waypoint marking the entrance. Of course the trip wasn't uneventful. "Sword Stance: Sesshomaru!" I called, changing my grip on Sekiryuki and swinging at the Beowolf. It fell easily and I risked a glance at my companions. Yang was brutally beating an Ursa, Ruby and Weiss taking on their own Beowolves and Blake had vanished. Wonder where she got off-nope. There she is, that was her Gambol Shroud slamming into the Ursa's skull. I decided to scan the area, those four were almost done anyway. Looks like there are no other Grimm around. Shame, I was starting to have fun.

The two Grimm were dead before a full minute had passed and I checked the drops. Some dust crystals and a few upgrade items like Ursa claws and Beowolf fangs. That could be fun to play with later. Oh well, back to business. I lead the team to a cave that reminded me of the one Juane and Pyrrha went in. I hope no other Deathstalkers have made this place their home since then. I motioned for the others to follow, and each had their weapons ready.

It took all of three steps before we ran into trouble in the form of...goblins? This dungeon was probably expecting me to come alone considering there were only five holding crude clubs and axes. "Give em hell." I called, dashing for the nearest one. "Sword Stance: Batosai." I called, drawing Sekiryuki and slashing it across the middle. The little green creep grunted in pain and swung it's club at me, knocking a few points off my aura. I tsked before changing to Mitsurugi and making a vertical cut right down the middle.

The others weren't idle either. Weiss had already frozen the body of a goblin that had charged at her before Ruby decapitated it. Blake was doing her fancy tricks, slicing up the two goblins attacking her. Yang punched hers so hard it exploded. I think she fired Ember Cecilia or something when her attack made contact because seriously, there were goblin bits all over the wall. I had cut mine in half by the time that had happened and narrowly avoided the goblin shower. "Watch it!" I shouted angrily.

"Hehe, sorry." Yang replied sheepishly. The rest of this floor was pretty similar. I was getting bored just cutting up the goblins when we got to the second floor. Two goblins were cackling as they worked together to pull a lever. That couldn't be good. I heard it coming before I saw it. It was about as big as a deathstalker, but it was more humanoid with a misshapen face and huge arms as thick as tree trunks... or Yang's boobs. Smirking at my internal joke, I sighed as five words escaped my mouth. "They have a Cave Troll."

"What's the plan, Ruby?" Blake asked, brandishing Gambol Shroud.

"Trolls are supposed to be weak to fire. Weiss, Yang!" the reaper ordered. The ice queen dashed forward, Yang's shots following close behind as the troll lit up. I figured now was as good a time as any to load in that fire dust crystal. Slipping it in, I hit the button just under the handguard and Sekiryuki's blade was engulfed in flames. The cave troll roared and tried to smash me, but my DEX was second only to Ruby's so it was easy to dodge. I looked around the room and smirked. "Hey Blake, see what I see?" I asked the Faunus who had just landed next to me after backflipping out of harm's way. She nodded and we were off like a shot. Blake used Gambol Shroud's ribbon to wrap around the rocks protruding from the cave wall and I was hot on her tail.

There were enough to get nearly above the troll, and I smirked. Now, it wasn't like the others were idle during the little acrobatics show. Ruby was shooting fire bullets from Crescent Rose, while Yang was doing the same from Ember Cecilia and Weiss was emptying her fire dust from Myrtenaster into the giant monster. But it was actually Blake who ended the troll's life, plunging her weapon in the sword form into it's brain while I used Sekiryuki to slice down its spine. The two goblins charged us as soon as we landed, but I cut them down in two easy strokes. Checking the drops and giving Weiss some fire dust to refill her supply, we continued onward.

...

I. Am. So. SICK of goblins! Seriously, the little buggers were everywhere with just the occasional troll or beowolf to add to the mix. I was so freaking frustrated! I seriously considered calling it quits due to boredom. No joke, cutting goblins in half with a stroke of my Sekiryuki was only fun for so long. I did level up to sixteen just before the last floor, putting the five new points into my DEX and three into LUC. Anyway, I'm getting scatterbrained.

The five of us had hit the bottom floor and were standing in front of a door that was easily as tall as all of us combined and wide enough to have a good fifty ursai rush through all at once with room to spare. "Well if this doesn't scream BOSS FIGHT." I commented dryly.

"Seriously." Yang agreed.

"Let's go everyone! Team RWBY away!" Ruby cheered, running up to the door. The rest of us joined her quick enough, and when all of us touched the door we ended up on our faces with how fast they swung open. "So not cool." Ruby grumbled.

I had to agree as I stood and looked around the room. Torches began lighting up along the walls of what looked to be a medieval throne room to show a crimson throne with-IS THAT A FIRE GIANT? Rubbing my eyes to make sure I wasn't seeing things, I saw that it was indeed a red giant with a flaming battle ax and golden armor. I could only scream one word. "SCATTER!" The five of us leaped in as many directions when the giant bellowed, throwing a fireball. Okay, someone didn't look things up because there was no way he could do that. "Sword Stance: Wilt and Blush!" I call, unclipping Sekiryuki's sheath from my belt and making my eyes slit. The giant threw another fireball at me, and I partially unsheathed my sword to absorb the attack. Sekiryuki was glowing, but not enough to cut through the armor. "Come on, is that all you've got?" I taunted.

Ruby, Weiss, and Yang were looking at me like I had lost my mind. Blake just looked like she had seen a ghost. The giant bellowed before lunging at me, bringing down his giant ax. I did as before, blocking the attack and Sekiryuki began glowing brighter with each passing second of the lockup.

Ruby POV

What was Allie doing? There was no way her sword could last very long against that monster's strength. "Checkmate!" I ordered. Weiss and Blake moved, each slashing at the giant's legs before retreating when he lifted his ax to try and cleave them in two. "Yang, Gold Rose!" I scream in panic. My sister nods before firing her gauntlets, me charging with Crescent Rose in gun mode as I took shots at the giant's head. I converted my baby to scythe mode just as Yang appeared over me, landing on the blade and jumping as I spun, flinging her as high as I could.

Yang's fist made contact with the giant's chest, and he bellowed in rage. Weiss came to my side, Blake soon following. "This isn't working." Weiss noted, glancing at me.

"Got any other ideas?" Blake asked, sounding kinda worried. I shook my head when I noticed Allie from behind the giant, climbing the walls and perching on one of the pillars.

"What is that crazy cat doing?" Yang wondered. I wished I had an answer.

Allie's POV

Well it wasn't as much energy as I would have liked, but I'll make do. Then again, Sekiryuki is seriously straining to keep the energy she collected from that lockup without breaking so I guess I didn't have much of an option either way. I knew my hair was beginning to glow some neon shade of my usual black as I pressed my hand to the hilt of my sword. _One shot._ I thought. _I only have one_ _shot._ I took a deep breath as I braced against the pillar I had been climbing. I leaped forward, drawing Sekiryuki in a Moonslice attack that (thankfully, I wasn't sure of my odds if this failed) cut the giant's head off. It landed with a loud thud that was quickly amplified by the rest of the body.

Everyone looked at me in shock. Weiss was the first to shake out of her stupor and ask, "What was that?"

I shrug as I flicked the blood off of Sekiryuki before sheathing it. "My Sword Stance skill gives me all the abilities of the technique I'm using." I explain.

Blake then asked the question I was worried about. "And what technique were you using?"

"Wilt and Blush." I confessed. I saw a long explanation in my future, for sure.

 _ **And done! Well, what did people think? How were the fight scenes? Were they decent? I'm sure I've mentioned I'm a bit self-conscious about them, so if you could please be respectful about it I'd really appreciate it. Well, I guess this is the part where I say leave a review telling me what you thought, feel free to leave a suggestion of what you'd like to see in the story and I'll take it under consideration, and I'll see you all next time!**_


	5. Cat Fight, literally!

_**Well, here we go again, this time we'll get to see some characters that I haven't featured yet but will be around a lot more later. I'm terrible at explaining things, that sounded seriously strange.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I sighed as I sat on my bed. Blake had asked the question that would get me into problematic territory, and I was seriously considering lying. But that wasn't my style so I suppose I had to tell the truth. The girls surrounded me and were looking at me like I had grown a second head. I suppose I could with Modification, but that would have been too weird for me.

"So, to sum up what you've told us," Weiss began, "You're from another world where we're a seriously popular web-series that you yourself watched religiously."

"Very broad, but not inaccurate." I replied casually. "And before you ask, Yang, I'm not giving spoilers unless the situation demands it." The blonde berserker shut her mouth. "So, what are your questions?" I asked dryly, my eyes slitting. They seemed to do that whenever I'm being serious... or in a fight.

Ruby was first, "How popular am I?"

I actually laughed. "Very. You're basically the show's mascot. Well, other than Zwei." I shuddered. Now let me be clear, I don't mind dogs but corgis never seemed to like me. The last time one saw me it tried to bite my ankle.

Blake was next, looking rather nervous as she asked, "How _much_ of our pasts do you know?"

"Pretty much all of it. You're old affiliations including a certain bull and chameleon, Yang's thing with the house and a nevermore, Summer Rose's death, even if I don't know details. Oh! And Ice Queen's family issues. But again, no spoilers. You'll all get details later on and I am in no position to share them."

I answered questions for a few minutes, eventually telling about the major shipping of Renora(All of Team RWBY agreed that that was inevitable), Juane being the fandom's dress-up doll (Yang almost busted a gut with how hard she was laughing), and that things with the White Fang, Roman, and Salem's minions certainly weren't over and I was already making plans to stop them.

They left after about a half-hour later and I began scrolling through the Abyss Auction, scrolling through the options and seeing what I could get with my share of the lien from the run. What? I wasn't going to bug RWBY and not give theme something for their trouble. I just kinda skimmed until I saw something that fit me perfectly. I was going to enjoy testing this out tomorrow in Goodwitch's class.

...

The next day I had just escaped Port's class and was eagerly awaiting my combat class. I really wanted to test out how well the new skill would work in a fight. Taking a seat near the ring, Goodwitch came out holding her tablet and began speaking. "Today we will be having one-on-one spars. Unless someone has someone specific in mind, the matches will be completely random." she informed. My leg was pumping eagerly. "Now the first match-up is..."

I watched Ren take out Weiss, making a snark about it to her later, Yang beat up one of the CRDL guys, Nora and Ruby fight each other to a tie, and Juane get his ass handed to him by Pyrrha. Finally it was my go. As it turned out, I was going to be fighting Blake. "Guess we're gonna see an honest-to-gods catfight." Yang joked. I'm pretty sure only RWBY and I heard it, and everyone groaned at the horrible pun.

I quickly went over what I knew about Blake's fighting style in my head. She uses Gambol Shroud as both offence and defense depending how she flicks the ribbon. Her fights always had the mark of a rouge, relying more on skill and finesse over power. I could match that, but it wouldn't be easy. I fingered Sekiryuki's handguard and my eyes slitted as I glared at my opponent, who was already holding her own weapon. "Go get her, Blake!" I heard Ruby cheer.

"I know you can beat her ass!" Yang added.

"Are both combatants ready?" Goodwitch asked. We nodded and the giant screen came to life. "Begin!"

We charged at each other, me calling just before we met, "Sword Stance: Sesshomaru!" and swinging my blade toward Blake's neck, which she immediately blocked. I smirk as I point the palm of my free hand at Blake. "Kitten Blast!" I call smugly. Blake's eyes widen as my hand is covered by a spell circle and a cat tail slams into her gut, knocking her back and winding her. "Yeah, I picked up a couple tricks last night. And the Sesshomaru stance leaves a hand free for casting. Nya~" I explained. My new Binding Magic seemed to be fairly effective so far, even if I had made a few modifications to Milliana's style in Fairy Tail. Holding my hand out again, I smirk. "Tiger Tail Trap!" I commanded. Spell circles appeared around Blake, my fellow faunus leaping out of the way just in time to avoid the tiger tails that shot out with the help of one of her clones. "Yay! You're still gonna make this fun for me!" I cheer, dashing for where Blake is going to land, slashing Sekiryuki again. Blake managed to block me again and knocking me away before landing flinging her weapon toward me in that chain-scythe mode, aiming to take my legs out from under me.

I actually tripped on it, cursing my luck as Sekiryuki slid from my grip. Blake was pulling me toward her, trying to keep her momentum in the fight, but I wasn't going to let that happen. Pointing my hand at Sekiryuki, I call, "Black Panther Grapple!" A black tail shoots from my palm, grabbing my katana and pulling it back to my hand. So this is probably going to be more of a support magic to my swordfighting, but I can still use it well enough which is what I wanted to know. I swung Sekiryuki as I was pulled toward Blake, the momentum of her pull giving me some extra force as I smacked her out of the ring. My eyes un-slitted and I smiled happily. "That was fun! Let's do that again! Nya~" I suggested.

Blake rubbed her forehead, probably fighting off the headache of getting smacked by my sword, and rolled her eyes. She didn't actually say anything as we both took our seats and watched a few more bouts before class was dismissed. I was on my way back to my room when I got the PM from Johnathan.

 _It's ready._

I smile as I run to my room, seeing a small stone cone sitting on my bed. Picking up the stone, I hold it in front of me and say clearly, "I open the path to Sanctuary." The air rippled in front of me and I stepped inside.

 _ **And done! Thanks to King Kimi for suggesting the Cat Fight, I really enjoyed writing it and I have to admit I laughed when I saw it. Well, next is probably going to be Painting the Town, and before anyone asks I'm not throwing Guren Lagann at Roman! I have something else planned. So I guess this is the part where I ask you guys to leave a review telling me what you thought and any ideas for the filler chapters like this one. I've already decided to do a Truth-or-Dare chapter and a beach episode, so if you have any suggestions other than THAT, I'm open to them. Well, until next time!**_


	6. Better allies than enemies

_**Ok, I wasn't paying attention to the follows and favorites until now and I have to say...wow. I don't think I've ever had so many of either on one story. I'm so glad people are enjoying this enough to follow and favorite, even if I really prefer reviews. Not complaining or backhanding, just stating.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I sigh in contentment as I fiddled around on my scroll. It had been about three weeks since my bout with Blake, and earlier today Ruby had called me and asked if I wanted in on the Team RWBY investigation for the issues with the White Fang. Seeing both an opportunity for fun and a chance to start _that_ plan, I agreed instantly with a request to let me know when we were ready to set out.

It was decided that since I was a faunus myself I would be going with Sun and Blake, which put me in a perfect position to mess with cannon how I wanted. On the down side, I wouldn't get to hear Ruby's speech to Penny but it was a sacrifice I would have to make. I noticed an ability on the Abyss Auction called Analyze, and decided to take a look.

 **Analyze(Active)- allows user to discern details about a single target such as level, stats, name, and weak points as level of skill increases.**

Worked for me. I got the skill and, seeing as I had a couple hours before I was supposed to head out, decided to find someone to test the new skill on. Oh wait, I had something to check on first! Pulling out my Key, I speak the passphrase and vanish into the resulting portal.

...

Well this has been going well. I have to admit, Roman can really give a great speech. Not that I could pay attention due to the adorable Ice Cream girl with him. Neo's even cuter in person! I'm so glad the crowd is kinda big, as I slipped away from Blake and Sun and moved toward the stage. Getting as close as I could, I held my hand out and pulled a small note I had written earlier in my other. I whispered the spell quiet enough that even the other faunus couldn't hear me over their own cheering. "Black Panther Grapple." I command. The black tail grabs my note and slips it into Roman's pocket without attracting any attention in the already dark room thanks to Blake's shot. I bolted for my companions as Roman gave chase.

You know what happens next. Roman chased us through the city, Blake called back-up, cars started flying when we hit the highway and I used my Tiger Tail Trap to set them down gently. Wow, that magic doesn't take a lot of concentration to use. Neptune and Sun had just gotten knocked off the highway and I smirked. Watching the robot fall onto the ground below, I gave a feral grin as my eyes slitted and I jumped to regroup with RWBY. "Think you can keep him busy for about five minutes? I wanna try a new toy I've been working on." I ask the red reaper next to me.

Ruby nods and looks to her teammates. "Freezerburn!" she ordered. Yang and Weiss leaped to action and I pulled out my Key.

My grin grew as I spoke three simple words. "Opening the Vault." A portal appeared in the ground, a form beginning to emerge. The formerly indistinguishable form became a giant white mecha with gold trimmings, and a bulge in it's back that I knew to be the cockpit. My face starts to hurt with how wide I'm smiling as the cockpit opens. Hopping in, I laugh, catching everyone's attention as the steam clears. "Face the might of Britannia! Lancelot, Deploy!" I cackle, pushing my Knightmare into action. The Lancelot stands, rushing Roman's Paladin.

Roman fired his mech's missiles, but I was ready for that. Activating the Blaze Luminous shields, I continued forward, drawing my robot's MVS and slashing at one of the Paladin's arms. Roman dodges and I can hear him laugh through the mech's loudspeaker. "Well this is gonna be fun!" he declared, shooting the Paladin's guns at Lancelot. I use Blaze Luminous to block most of them, but my screens show I've taken some damage.

"Gonna have to do better than that to beat me, Torchwick!" I declare, roaring a battle cry as I started speeding around the area, firing my Slash Harkens to try to trip the Paladin up, but apparently it had jump jets as Roman dodged my attack before firing missiles. I didn't have enough time to block them, so I took the full brunt of the attacks and my screens flashed damage reports. Lancelot was still operational, but I couldn't take a full barrage again. I had two options, close the distance and keep him from firing again or get more distance between us and give me more time to react against his attacks.

Roman made the decision for me as he backed up and tried to fire another volley. I reacted on instinct, bringing up Blaze Luminous and drawing my VARIS rifle, firing at the missiles and destroying them before they hit me. "Not bad kitty cat." Roman complimented me, "But can you stop this one?" he rushed me, charging another missile volley. How many of those things did this guy have? I opened fire with my VARIS rifle, aiming at the joints like you would a Loader in Borderlands 2 to disable it. I took out the arms first, then I aimed for the legs. I smiled as the Paladin fell to my Knightmare's superior firepower and broke apart. Roman of course stood up and dusted himself off. "Just got this thing cleaned." he complained before smiling. "Nah, totally worth it." Yang fired a shot, but it was intercepted.

SO CUTE! Sorry, Neo had appeared on scene and blocked Yang's shot, smiling that smug smile as she put her umbrella over her shoulder. "Ladies, Ice Queen," Roman said casually.

"Hey!" was Weiss' indignant reply.

"Always a pleasure. Neo, if you would." Neo curtsied, and I knew even before Yang shattered the illusion that the pair were gone.

I crouched my Lancelot, opening the cockpit and smiling as I hopped out. "Return to the Vault." I commanded. My Knightmare vanished as it had come.

"Guess Torchwick's got a new henchman." Yang said mildly.

"Yeah," Weiss nodded. "I guess she made our plans _fall apart?_ Huh?"

Ruby and I giggled while Yang reprimanded the Ice Queen. Giving Ruby directions to A Simple Wok where Sun and Neptune were eating, I waved them all off. "I'll catch up later, promise!" I called, hopping off.

Neo POV

Well that was rather interesting. I have no idea where that girl got that white-and-gold robot, but it was pretty awesome. Looking at Roman, I reach for my Scroll. 'You alright?' I type, showing it to him.

He smiled as he ruffled my hair, causing me to pout. I hate when he does that. "I'm fine, you know I'm tougher than that." Roman assures me, slipping his hands into his pockets. His cool and collected look turns to confusion as he pulls a folded up piece of paper from his pocket. "Well that's strange." he muttered, unfolding it and reading over whatever was on it. I looked over his shoulder and read the note.

 _Meet me at Junior's club in an hour. Bring Neo, but other than that come alone. I will be after all, Nya~._

I looked at Roman curiously. 'Should we go?' I asked him.

"Whoever slipped me this wouldn't try something in the middle of a public area like Junior's." Roman replied, stuffing the note back into his pocket. "Might as well check it out. Maybe we'll get a chance to get away from that flame bitch."

I know my eyes are sparkling at the thought of getting away from Cinder. That bitch was twelve kinds of crazy and even more kinds of evil. Getting away from her would be a blessing. Roman went to the cockpit to tell the White Fang guy driving to drop us off in another couple streets.

...

The club was pretty empty, save for the guards milling around and a single cat faunus sitting at the bar. Hey, that was the girl piloting that mech earlier! My grip tightened on my umbrella as Roman and I made for the bar. The girl's cat ears flicked and she turned to us, smiling. "Roman, Neo, so glad you two could make it! Nya~" she greeted us. "I'm Allison N Rouge, but you can call me Allie if that's easier for you."

I giggled slightly at the girl's, Allie's, antics. They were kinda cute. Wait, what? Shaking the weird thoughts out of my head, I took a seat next to Roman as he surveyed our strange companion. "So, care to explain why you called us out here?" he asked.

Allie smiled happily. "Not a problem! Nya~" Okay, that was really cute, especially as she was holding her hands in a cat paw fashion. "I called you two out here to offer you a chance to get away from Cinder and work for me instead."

"And why would we want to work for you?" Roman inquired, in a total business mode.

"Simple, Cinder's plan is going to get you, Roman, killed. I want to prevent that and maybe get your usual life back." Allie explained. Before Roman can ask his next question, she continues, "Oh! And if you're worried about Cinder finding you, don't. I have this pocket dimension base you can stay in until she's left Vale."

Roman looked at her skeptically, and quite frankly I couldn't blame him. A pocket dimension? Was this girl crazy? "And why should I believe you won't just turn me into the cops first chance you get?" Roman questioned. Guess he wasn't going to push the crazy angle, but he still had a point.

"Well honestly, you're more useful to me out of jail." That answer surprised us both. Allie went on to explain, "You see, I happen to know you've been screwed over by the world so you're trying to get back at it. I totally get that and in your position I can't say I'd do things differently. So as long as you give me some info and do the occasional favor I may need, I see no reason to turn you in." Allie studied our expressions and giggled. "Well, that and I really wanted Neo on my team." she added.

That one surprised us more than anything. Me? A Huntress? That was crazy. Pulling out my scroll, I type in, 'Are you crazy? I'm a wanted criminal!'

"Actually you're not. Nya~" Allie replied. Roman gestured for her to go on and she happily did so. "I checked every police, crime, and military database. You, miss Neo, are a total ghost. Any crime you're involved in has been credited totally to Roman. So really, the only ones who would know are the four girls you saw with me, maybe their sister team if they share details, and probably Ozpin but I can spin something with all of them."

I looked at Roman, cautious excitement in my eyes. "We're gonna need a minute." he requested.

"Take you're time, I have all night." Allie replied.

Allie POV

Well, let's hope this works. I think I covered all my bases, and the fact Roman didn't just laugh in my face and leave gives me some hope, but I'm still not calling it a win. Not until they give me their answer. I backed away from the pair as the Clockwork Orange knockoff conversed with his (daughter? friend? partner? girlfriend? I really hoped it wasn't the last one). He was muttering while she typed out messages on her Scroll.

I could convince RWBY not to attack Neo and Torchwick on sight, that much I was sure of. Ozpin was really the only problem. I suppose I could blackmail him with what I know about him and Salem, but I was going to save that as a last resort. Checking my inventory, I pulled out the two copies of my Key and set them on the bar. They turned back to me after a while.

Roman asked me a question. "Are you sure you can get Neo into Beacon?" I smile and nod. Roman looked into my eyes, probably looking for any deceit. I knew there was none, so I wasn't surprised when he smiled ruefully. "Alright. Let's give this plan of yours a shot. What do you need me to do?"

Smiling happily, I began outlaying my plan to get the criminal duo out of Cinder's clutches.

 _ **And done! First, never underestimate my Code Geass obsession. Second, what did people think? I know Roman's attacks were kinda repetitive, but other than some punches and kicks the missiles were the only thing I actually saw in the way of attack. Well, leave a review and tell me what you thought, and I'll see you next time!**_


	7. Welcome to Sanctuary!

_**To King Kimi, I will admit you're right, but that's not gonna come till later. To Ellucc, you are totally right, I should have thought of that. Oh well, coulda, shoulda, woulda. Now then, shall we begin?**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I sigh as I wander the halls, bored out of my mind. I had finished my pet projects as well as my homework, so there wasn't much to do as I didn't even have a dungeon I could run and I was not going to do the Fire Giant again so don't even go there! I also couldn't go see Neo and Roman due to the fact both were still working for Cinder until I can finish my preparations for their defection. Hell they were both busy right now so I couldn't even call them to...… I haven't shown off Sanctuary! Smiling with a plan in mind, I ran for RWBY and JNPR's dorms, checking to make sure I had enough Keys for all of them before knocking on both doors. Pyrrha and Yang were the ones to answer the doors this time and the former paled slightly at my grin. "Hey guys! Wanna see something cool?" I offered.

"What kind of cool?" Yang asked, leaning on the doorframe.

"The secret base kind of cool. Nya~" I replied. I guess Ruby and Nora heard me because both were in front of me almost instantly with two bowled over hotties behind them. Both were trying to talk over each other, but I couldn't understand either until Wiess and Ren came and pulled their respective partners back. "Well first I need to give you all Keys, or you won't be able to use the portal." I inform, pulling out the Keys and handing one to everyone as soon as Blake and Juane had joined us. "Feel free to keep these, they all give you access to my base in case you need an escape or are seriously injured. But no using it to get out of tests! Nya~" I sang.

"Spoilsport." Yang muttered just quiet enough for me to hear.

"Now the way to use them is easy. You really just need to have them on you when you say the passphrase." Turning around, I call clearly, "I open the path to Sanctuary." The air rippled and I smiled, stepping through and waiting for the rest to follow. When they did, I gave them a chance to look around. We were only at the front gate, the give them time to take in the view. We were in the airborne version of Sanctuary, so as soon as the portal closed we were standing in front of a sheer drop into nothingness. You could clearly see the garage with the giant SCOOTER'S sign just to my left. "Welcome to Sanctuary everyone!" I declared happily.

...

Wow, they were really enjoying the garage. Not that I can blame them, it's where I make all my toys like Lancelot. "Hey Allie, what's this one?" I heard Ruby ask me. Turning, my eyes bulged as I saw the liger zoid I had been building.

"Not ready yet." I replied quickly, giving her enough incentive to move on. I wasn't lying either. Making the humanoid mechs was easier than the quadrupedal ones. The mechanics for movement alone were way more complicated to program than a simple "Right foot, Left foot," program. I don't see myself finishing it any time soon, unfortunately. "Well, is everyone enjoying gawking at my various machines?" I asked smugly. I had let them loose in the garage a good half-hour ago and all eight hunters were still admiring said machines.

"Oooh! What's this one?" I whipped around when I realized Nora had asked that and nearly tackled her before she turned on what she was about to touch. "Aww, what does that one do?"

"If you pressed that button right now? Kill us all and take the city with it." I replied mildly. Let me explain, what Nora had almost triggered was supposed to create various grenade mods like from Borderlands. Thing is, the singularity function still wasn't working and would make the machine explode in more spectacular ways than the last. I really didn't want to risk killing my friends. Picking Nora up by her collar, I walked over to Ren, who was looking at my Shinobi Knightmare, and handed her off to the ninja. "Please keep an eye on her while we're in here." I requested.

It was still another half-hour of showing off my various gadgets and various destructive vehicles before we left for the next place, Moxxxie's. The bar was really designed like in the game, looks like Johnathan had really done a good job keeping the authenticity. There was even a couple of slots machines next to the door by the bar. We had a small meal before moving on to Zed's Clinic. "And this is another reason to keep your Keys on you." I informed, stepping into the clinic that, thankfully, looked like an actual clinic rather than something out of a slasher flick. "If you're ever put into critical condition, your Key will recognize it and teleport you here, where my MED Loaders will heal you to a full recovery."

The last stop was the Crimson Raider's HQ, or as I liked to call it, the residential area. The bottom floor had rooms instead of just the bunks with lockers(About fifteen in all). I knew that TARDIS tech had been used to make the rooms bigger than they looked. Informing my friends of this detail, I showed them around the base, let them claim the rooms, each with a bed, dresser, walk-in closet, and flat-screen tv, and showed them the laundry room with the four washing machines on either side of the room. We then proceeded to the top floor. I smirked as Ruby, Weiss, and Nora all gawked over all the screens and the cool holo-table located at the far end of the floor, as well as the various game systems I had set up.

"Hey, what's this room?" Juane asked, taping the door just behind me.

"That's my forge." I reply with a shrug. "I usually use to make and improve weapons."

"And the vault over there?" Blake asked, pointing to said giant steel door.

"That's my library. Keep Ruby away from the North Wing, it's mostly smutty stuff." I whispered conspiratorially. Blake's eyes slitted and she almost dashed off, making me and Yang laugh.

…

Well today has been fun. Blake kinda locked herself in the North Wing until I sent Yang to get her, Ruby spent a lot of time in the Forge seeing what type of equipment I had, and everyone else was either playing games or watching movies and shows I had sitting around their rooms or the holo-table room that I thought they'd enjoy. Everyone was thoroughly happy when I called them all to the holo-table room. "This has been great!" Juane declared, stretching.

"And this is just the safe zone. Nya~" I reply nonchalantly. Everyone looks at me with interest and I smirk, pressing a button on the table and displaying a map with a giant X surrounded by ten rings. "Did you really think this kitty would stop at a floating city? I have a whole separate segment, The Vault."

"And just what is this Vault?" Pyrrha asked.

"I;m glad you asked Miss Champion." I chirp as I tap a few more buttons. "The Vault is an eleven layer, or 'ring' as I like to call it, dungeon, each with it's own mobs, drops, and boss. They also have a level margin that you should really be if you don't want to die." Everyone nods at my explanation.

"And how do you move through the layers?" Ruby asked.

"Well you get into the Vault through the Marcus' Munitions shop by Zed's. From there it's really circumstantial." I reply, going on to explain, "If you're in my party or raid group and I have 'Passive Mode' on, we can move freely. If either of those don't apply, you have to kill each ring's boss monster to progress to the next ring."

"And what's this X in the middle?" Ren asked, pointing to said X.

"That's the Inner Sanctum. It's where I keep all my most dangerous toys. I actually keep most of the stuff I was showing off in the garage in there, I just pulled them out to impress everyone. Nya~" Everyone either laughed or anime fell, causing me to giggle. "But the other ten rings are really just protection to keep people out of the Sanctum, seeing as it doesn't have any monsters in it."

"Well what would happen if someone with ill intent gets through to the Sanctum? That seems like a serious flaw in you're defense." Weiss pointed out.

"That's impossible, nothing gets past the tenth ring without my say-so." I replied incredulously.

"You sound pretty confident in that." Yang noted.

"Of course." I replied with a smirk. "Anything that _fights_ it's way to the tenth ring is in for a real _bad time._ " I giggle at my joke, yawning. "I think I'm gonna turn in, we've been here pretty much all day now. Night everyone! Nya~" I called behind me, heading for my room downstairs and leaving the rest to their own devices.

 _ **And done! Well, what does everyone think of Sanctuary? Yeah, it's not an exact replica, but I put my own touch to it, so sue me. And who got what Allie was talking about? It's a pretty famous line, from what I understand so it shouldn't be hard to figure out. Anyway, next time is probably gonna be the Truth-or-Dare episode, and I'm still taking suggestions if anyone has a great idea they want to share. Well, I guess this is the part where I ask you all to leave a review and tell me what you thought. Until next time!**_


	8. Allie and Neo's totally-not-a-date

_**Okay, I'm starting to wonder just how high those follow/fav counters go. And someone's reading in Iceland, I've never had someone read my stuff from Iceland! I feel so accomplished. Well, I regret to inform you I'm putting off the Truth or Dare chapter, but it will be posted, I promise!**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I was bored again. I sighed as I looked around Sanctuary. I had a free period, but everyone else had classes so I was on my own, and my free period left me totally alone. Maybe play a game? Nah, don't feel like it and I've already beaten them without a single death six times already. Maybe check out one of my books? Yeah right, and end up reading Sherlock Holmes for the umpteenth time. Movie? Nah, I'm not desperate enough to watch the Lion King yet. As I went over my options, I felt my scroll buzz in my pocket.

Taking it out, I saw it was a text reading, 'Hey, totally bored and no one needs me around for a few hours. You free? -N'

Oh it was Neo, guess she's in the same-HOLY SHIT NEO JUST TEXTED ME! Trying to calm my breathing, I typed back, 'What a coincidence, I'm bored too. Got a free period and the day's almost over. Guessing you wanna hang out for a bit?'

My scroll pinged not ten seconds later. Wow, she could type fast. 'Sure, Roman's needed and wandering Vale alone just isn't any fun. You know the From Dust till Dawn store?'

I type back, 'Sure do, meet you there in ten?'

Ping. 'Sounds good. I'll see you there.' I clicked my scroll closed and checked the sensors in the Vault. No irregularities, so I wouldn't be putting my base in danger if I ditched for a while. Good. Now I just need something good to wear. Heading to my room, I start raiding my closet. Pink t-shirt with the pale blue skinny jeans? No, that's more for when I'm hanging out in HQ, not going out. Red dress with the black leggings? No, saving that for the dance. Oh! That'll work!

...

I ended up making it with a few minutes to spare, so I decided to do a quick check of my outfit. I was wearing a yellow tank that showed off some of my stomach as well as some black jeans with a matching belt I had Sekiryuki clipped to it. It was kinda windy, so I had also grabbed my brown jacket which was currently slung around my shoulders. Yeah, maybe I should have talked to Coco about getting myself a decent fashion sense. I felt like a Yang knockoff, all I needed was the Super Saiyan 3 hairstyle and boobs about a cup size bigger and I'd be her.

I was just about to teleport back to Sanctuary when I saw movement out of the corner of my eye. SO CUTE! Sorry. As you can probably guess, Neo had just turned the corner, umbrella over one shoulder, confident smirk on her face, her usual outfit in place as she strode toward me. She held up her scroll, a message reading, 'You didn't wait long, right?' already typed out.

I shook my head. "Nah, I just got here myself. If anything I was worried I'd end up making you wait. Nya~" I replied, putting on my cutesy personality. Did Neo just blush? Chalking it up to my imagination, I offered my arm with a smile. "Shall we be going?" I asked. Neo rolled her eyes at my action, but took my arm as we began walking.

...

I had to give her credit, Neo was a rather talented individual. She managed to balance her umbrella, keep our arms interlocked, and type out messages on her scroll all at the same time. We had just been making idle conversation, walking through the city, stuff like that. My stomach growled and I giggled sheepishly. "I think I saw a café a bit back, care for a bite? My treat."

Neo nodded before thinking a second and typing out a quick message. 'We're splitting the bill, I have enough money to cover my end.' I would have protested, but the way she was looking at me as if she'd turn the blade hidden in her umbrella on me if I said no kept my mouth shut. The little café was fairly empty, and we were seated pretty fast. We continued talking, right until some jerk decided to come by and spill his drink on me.

Neo's POV

That bastard! He looked at Allie and smirked. "Oops sorry, I know how much cats hate getting wet, but they really shouldn't allow pets in a restaurant in the first place." he laughed as he began walking away.

I reached for my umbrella, only to feel the catgirl's hand on mine. I looked at her and saw a mischievous grin. "Wanna see something cool?" she asked me. I recognized that tone. That was the tone Roman used whenever he was about to do something either funny, illegal, or usually both. I nod and she holds her hand out toward the jerk. "Black Panther Grapple." she whispered.

I was confused at Allie's strange words until a weird circle appeared on her hand. A black panther tail shot out from her hand and wrapped around the jerk's ankle. Her grin never leaving, Allie pulled on the tail. I was silently laughing as the guy tripped, right into a waiter holding one of those small cakes for one person, causing both to fall and the cake to splatter all over the jerk's face. Reaching for my scroll, which I had left on our table, I typed out a shaky message. 'Holy shit, that was awesome!' I declared. 'How did you do that?' I asked.

She then proceeded to tell me about her semblance, The Gamer. I had to admit, some of the things I'd seen around her suddenly made sense. The giant robot from that night a couple weeks ago, her pocket-dimension base, and that panther tail thing she had just done. It still sounded surreal though. "So that's how I do most of the stuff I do. It's all part of my badass semblance. Nya~" she finished. Okay, that Nya was getting way too cute. Made me want to cut this wandering short, head to Sanctuary and-NO! Bad Neo! You barely know this girl!

I type a question that's been bugging me for a while now. 'What's with that stereotypical catgirl thing? I thought Faunus hated being treated like animals so why throw in all the cat stuff?'

She sighed. "Well, that's a bit complicated." She replied. "To start with, I'm not exactly from this world. I come from a world where humans are the only sentient form of life. Faunus and Grimm don't exist." That one surprised me, but after her explanations earlier it made sense that she wouldn't be from Remnant. Allie continued her story. "My sister actually gave me the cat ears and tail for my tenth birthday. I always loved cats, and I had told her about wanting those little trinkets." She smiled sadly and I found myself engrossed in her tale despite it only beginning. "I started wearing them everywhere. Started the whole catgirl routine about a few months after my sister disappeared. Kind of a way to feel closer to her, you know?" I nod and she continues. "After a while, I was doing the catgirl routine more and more, until it became second nature. Mom and Dad were always trying to make me stop, saying it 'wasn't right for a lady to be acting in such a manner.'" I giggle slightly at the posh rich-person tone she used at that last bit, causing her to smile a bit before continuing. "After about a year, I started noticing how my friends wouldn't talk to me. Wasn't long after I found out most of them were just trying to use me to get a higher social standing. Then I stared just doing it to see who was really willing to power through my weirdness and wanted to be a my friend. Needless to say that backfired, since I ended up alone. Even my girlfriends couldn't stand me for more than a month or two before getting sick of the routine."

That...actually pissed me off. So Allie was weird, and apparently from either a rich or very "reputable" family, so people only wanted to be around her to take advantage of that. It didn't mean she was bad! Hell, the routine that clearly became a defense mechanism made her even cuter than she already was. Wait a second. Those ears and tail are real, but her old ones were fake. How did that work? I asked her as much and she giggled. "One of my skills is Modification. It lets me make changes to my appearance. Cat ears, tail, and slitting eyes for instance." That made more sense than it should have.

'If it makes you feel any better, I think your catgirl routine is adorable.' I type in. D-did she just blush? No way, there's no way...but she did say GIRLfriends, so maybe...NO! Bad Neo! Thankfully our orders came and we enjoyed our lunches in what I thought was a companionable silence.

Allie POV

I sipped my coco and thought about what I had just revealed. I hadn't told that to anyone, not even my longest relationship of almost a year. Yet I told Neo, who yeah I had a crush on her when she was just a character, but in all honesty I barely knew. Why did I do that? Well, truth be told I don't regret it. Plus Neo thought my catgirl thing was adorable. I was sure I blushed at that. I mean a cute girl complimented one of if not the weirdest quirk I have. No! Have to stop thinking like that. Start with friendship, then see if it progresses further. Besides, there's nothing saying Neo's a lesbian anyway. Yeah...I shouldn't get my hopes up.

We ate in somewhat of a companionable silence, splitting the bill and heading out again. We got all of ten feet before I saw an ice cream truck. I looked to my companion and sure enough, she was staring at it hungrily. I giggled as I began walking over. We waited in line for about a minute before the ice cream man, a man about Roman's height...and build...and hair color...wait a minute, "Roman?" I asked cautiously.

"Oh hey kitty cat." The crimelord greeted me. "Care for an ice cream cone?"

"How? What? Why?" ENGLISH ALLIE! DO YOU SPEAK IT?

"Well really this is a way to survey a possible group of White Fang counter-operatives. They're actually just behind the truck." Roman explained, scooping out some Neapolitan ice cream and handing it to Neo before looking at me. "What'll it be?" he asked.

"Do you have mint chocolate chip?" I asked hopefully, getting over the rather comical sight of Roman Torchwick in a pink and red striped apron with an ice cream sundae hat. Roman nodded and grabbed another cone. "So, how are things going so far on your end?"

"Great! We're almost moved and your little heads-up on those lapdogs of Cinder got that Tuskon guy out before they could get to him. Cinder's mad so I have to watch my step, but it shouldn't be a problem. How about you?"

I took my ice cream and pulled out my wallet. "Almost set. Everything will be ready by the time Ruby and her team reach Mountain Glenn." I replied. I managed to get my wallet out, but Roman stopped me.

"On me, kitty." he declared. "Consider it a thanks for helping me and Neo." Figuring I wasn't going to get the usually greedy man to budge, I smiled and turned, walking toward a bench with Neo.

Well that was surprising to say the least. And again, rather comical. But bringing up Mountain Glenn actually reminded me of something. "Hey Neo, are you going to the dance?" I asked.

Neo shook her head. 'No one's asked me.' she replied. 'And Cinder doesn't want me making a scene, so I probably won't be able to do it even then.'

I puff my cheeks slightly. That bitch! Sighing, I reply, "Well if someone were to ask you, and you'd accepted because you 'forgot' about Cinder not wanting you around, do you think you'd say yes?"

'Depends on the person.' she replied, looking at me curiously. 'Is this going somewhere?'

"Sorry, I'm just trying to figure out how to ask you to the dance and I'm coming up blank." I reply honestly. Realizing what I had said, my face turned red as Ruby's cloak.

Neo POV

D-did she just say what I think she did? Did Allie actually just say she wanted to ask me to the dance? Well, there was no way I was going to turn her down, but she would have to come up with an actual request first. 'Well, when you figure out how to ask me, let me know, alright?' I request. Allie reads my message and nods happily.

"You got it! Nya~" Allie replied. Okay, that happy smile with that cute mewl was seriously going to send me into cuteness overdrive. How would I survive being on a team with this adorable girl? _You could always try being her girlfriend_. a traitorous part of my mind whispered. I shut that part up and felt my scroll buzz. 'Have a job for you, get back here ASAP. -Cinder' I sighed as I showed Allie the text and she nodded.

"Can't be helped." She declared sadly. "Well, this was fun. Think we could do it again sometime? Nya~" she asked, smiling that adorable smile at me. I smile and nod before vanishing.

 _ **And done. Look, I've been on a whole of two dates in my entire life and I'm about as subtle as a boot to the head(points to anyone who knows that reference), so suffice to say this is based on cheesy romance shows rather than experience. Please consider that before tearing into this chapter. Well, I guess leave a review telling me what you thought, and I'll see you guys next time!**_


	9. Truth-or-Dare episode

_**I have to admit, only one of those references last time was intentional. Meh, happy accidents and all that. Now for the episode of Interrogation or Humiliat….Truth or Dare! I meant Truth or Dare.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I really needed something to do on weekends. I was bored again, but this time it was because there was genuinely nothing to do. I had to call my FIX Loaders to repair the second floor of HQ due to an incident involving Nora, an open light socket, and a cup of coffee someone left unattended. Don't ask. Anyway, Everyone was just wandering the bottom floor or reading when I spotted the empty water bottle on my nightstand. Smiling evilly, I grabbed it and ran out of my room, gathering everyone in the library.

"So why did you call us all here?" Weiss asked, her voice tinged with both annoyance and curiosity.

"Who wants to play Truth or Dare?" I asked, holding up my bottle. Wow, I thought Ruby was the fastest of her team but Weiss just freaking disappeared. Guess that's a no from her.

Turning to the rest, I saw Blake shake her head. "Sorry, but I'm in a really good spot in my book, and I wanna get through it." I shrug and my fellow catgirl left to continue her reading. Eventually, people either decided to join the game(Pyrrha, Juane, Ruby, and Yang), or had an excuse to head off somewhere else. (I don't think Ren wanted to deal with Nora making even more mischief than she already does and Nora's never far from her crush anyway)

"Alright, here's how it's gonna work." I began, my five victims-friends! I meant friends- sitting on the floor in a circle with me. "First off, I'll kick the game off. Then we'll go clockwise for turns. You know how the actual truth or dare part goes, pick one and do/say what you're asked. Now some ground rules, nothing that would get us in trouble with Goodwitch, she yells at us all enough as it is, and no asking me to empty my inventory, the dust alone could fill the room. Also, and this is just a thing I like to throw in, you can switch from truth to dare or vice versa once per round."

"What do you mean?" Pyrrha asked.

"Simple, if Yang picked Dare and I told her to confess to her crush, she could switch to truth, but she couldn't do it again until it was my turn again."

"So a way to back out, but we need to use it wisely." Juane summarized.

I nod in confirmation before looking over everyone. "We all clear? Then let's play! Nya~" I spun the bottle and it landed on Ruby. "Alright little red, truth or dare?"

"Truth." Ruby replied after a moment's thought.

Spoilsport. "Alright, is there anyone you have a crush on?" Everyone leaned in except me, and I kinda hoped she noticed my loophole.

"Y-yeah, there is someone." Ruby replied, blushing slightly.

"Oh? Who's got my little sister's attention?" Yang asked teasingly.

"Sorry Yang, Ruby answered her question." I cut in, looking at Pyrrha.

She spun the bottle and landed on Yang. "Alright Yang, truth or dare?" the spartan asked.

"Dare, I ain't afraid of you." Yang declared. She should have been afraid, very afraid.

"Alright, I dare you," the redhead paused to consider before smirking. "I dare you to call Weiss and tell her about that prank you pulled with her alarm clock last week."

I never thought I would see Yang pale at the thought of talking to her teammate, but here we are. Ruby giggled before she saw Yang pull out her scroll. "Wait, you're actually going to go through with it?" The reaper gasped. Yang just nodded as she dialed the number of the Ice Queen. "Well, it's been nice knowing you, sis."

The rest of us enjoyed a good five minutes of Weiss yelling loud enough for the rest of us to hear some rather... _colorful_ language. Guess Weiss didn't appreciate Yang setting her alarm to ten at night instead of ten in the morning. Yang hung up before glaring at Pyrrha, who was joining the rest of us in gut-busting laughter at the golden dragon's misery.

But she would have her revenge. It was her turn and she spun the bottle, which landed on Pyrrha. The spartan gulped as she turned to the smirking dragon. "Well Pyrrha, truth or dare?"

"T-truth!" was the almost immediate reply.

"Yang if you make her do it before I have a chance I'll shave your head." I threaten, realizing what was about to happen.

Yang glared at me, but relented. "Alright, how likely do you think it is that the boy you like will ask you to the dance?"

Pyrrha breathed a sigh of relief, ignoring Juane's question of, "Wait, Pyrrha likes someone?"

"I don't think it's all that likely really." she answered.

Juane laughed. "Yeah right! If someone doesn't ask you to the dance, I'll go in a dress!" he declared. Oh, I was SO going to make that bite him in the butt later. Wait, I can't do that and make my ship sail at the same time. Oh! Decisions!

Well, Juane was up next, and he landed on me. "I'll go dare. Give me your best shot." I challenged.

"Alright, I dare you to play the rest of the game in your underwear." Juane countered. I unequipped my clothes and was left in a black bra and panties. "I wasn't expecting you to go through with it!" the blonde boy cried, averting his gaze.

"Lace, I like it." Yang commented.

Ruby spun the bottle and it landed on Juane. "Truth." the blonde replied.

"Okay, why did you think Allie wouldn't go through with your dare?"

"Because she's an open lesbian in a room of attractive girls."

I laughed. "Sorry, but no one in this room is my type." I inform. Juane hung his head in shame, "But I will admit you have a point about the room being filled with attractive girls."

My turn, and I spun to land on Pyrrha. "Truth or dare?" I sang. She was screwed either way, but hey that was the fun.

"T-truth." Pyrrha decided.

"Alright, what's the name of the boy you like?" I knew I was grinning ear-to-ear, and so were the other two girls.

"I-I'm switching!" she declared.

"Alright, I dare you to French your crush!" Ruby, Yang, and I shared a laugh at the Spartan's misery. I knew she would kill me for this later, but I was ready for her. Pyrrha glared at me, her face as red as her hair and Juane looking on in confusion. "Which is it gonna be? The truth or the dare?" I asked. To my surprise, and utter delight, she stood, walked over to her team leader, pulled _him_ up by his collar, and frenched him. I actually heard her tongue go in after the blonde knight gasped. Ruby cheered, Yang wolf whistled, and I was just enjoying the show.

Pyrrha baled right after, of course, with Juane running after her, so it was just me and the siblings. With all of JNPR gone, it was Yang's turn as she spun the bottle. It landed on me and I smirked at her, choosing truth to mess with her. "Alright, who was that at the café with you the other day?"

"You saw us?" I practically screamed. I hadn't even noticed anyone from Beacon was in that café! "I'm switching to dare!" There were only three of us, I'm sure I was safe from it.

"Alright, I dare you to answer my question." Yang replied.

"That's cheating Xiao Long!" I snap, panic setting in. I had to figure something out fast or I would end up spilling the beans and who knew what repercussions that would bring about.

"Not cheating if there's no rule against it." Ruby pointed out. That traitor!

I gulped, trying to come up with something. Well, I guess half-truth is my best option since lying is just too hard for me. "Her name is Neo. She's had to do some unsavory things, but she wants to try to turn over a new leaf and maybe join my team. I decided to get to know her and make a decision." Not a total lie, while omitting any spoilers.

"Neo huh?" Yang muttered, leaning back. Her eyes closed before snapping open. "Wait, isn't that Torchwick's new henchman?" I froze like a deer in headlights. "Yeah! I'm sure I heard him call that little midget Neo!"

"She's not a midget!" I defended reflexively. "She's Ruby's age!" I had found that out during our little outing, but I realized what I had just admitted and shrank back. "How dead am I?"

"Completely if you don't start explaining." Yang snapped angrily. Shit, her eyes were red. My hand found Sekiryuki's hilt at the same time Yang activated Ember Cecilia. "So what's the story? Are you working for Torchwick?"

"No, if this plan pans out then he'll be the one working for me." I reply, a little pissed that Yang actually activated her weapons in my base.

"Explain." Ruby commanded, her own weapon drawn but not activated.

"Okay, first off I _know_ I said no fighting in Sanctuary and I can boot you out at any time. Second, Torchwick and Neo are being forced to work with the White Fang by a fire-throwing bitch with a genocide plan." I explain. Yang continued to glare at me, but both she and her sister put their weapons away. My grip on my own weapon relaxed and I sighed. "Look, Torchwick isn't all bad. If it weren't for the fact he enjoys an adrenaline rush he could have retired a long time ago. My plans for him will give him that rush and keep him semi-out of our hair."

I spend the next half-hour explaining my intentions, and somewhere along the line Ruby begins smiling again and Yang's eyes turn back to their lilac color. After I finished my explanation, Yang only had one thing to say. "You have a crush on Neo."

"H-How do you figure that?" I asked.

"From what you've said, Torchwick's just part of the package. Getting Neo out is your real goal." Ruby replied. Damn those girls are preceptive. "Don't worry, we won't say anything to the others."

"But Yang's gonna tease me mercilessly now." I pointed out. The blonde berserker confirmed my suspicions by laughing her head off.

 _ **And done. Well that didn't go at all as planned. Funny how that happens sometimes. Oh, and even though no one's asked about it, NO! Claptrap is not in Sanctuary. He's an awesome character to play in the Pre-Sequel, but he's freaking annoying. Well, leave a review with your thoughts, and I guess I'll see you guys next time, which may very well be later today considering the roll I'm on.**_


	10. Bullies, Lapdogs, and danger, oh my!

_**No I have not played the DLC. I prefer to play the games, beating the main story with all six characters, and while I did start playing a Claptrap, I only beat the game with Athena and I still have five characters before starting the DLCs I got. That does give me interesting research material later, though.**_

 _ **Second order of business, I'm having trouble deciding on a few pairings. If I haven't figured it out by next chapter, I'll be asking you guys about it but for now all I'm gonna say on the matter is it involves a certain dragon. Also, sorry whiterose shippers but I don't think I'll be doing that one in this fic. I am doing another popular ship with the moe reaper, and no it is not Rosewick!**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I sighed as I wandered the halls. Lunch was still going on and I had finished quickly, getting stir-crazy and going for a stroll before classes started again. I also wanted to get the fuck out of there due to a certain Spartan shooting me death glares most of the day. I was NOT looking forward to combat classes today. I considered my various options. Text Neo and see if she's free? No, Cinder would get suspicious if we met too often at Beacon and I couldn't risk that. I had already gotten on the false maiden's shit-list for approaching "Natalia" and asking her to the dance, and as much as I really wanted to hang out with my crush, her safety was a little more important. Skip over to Sanctuary and play some games? No, I'd lose track of time again and Goodwitch is already mad at me because of a prank involving some canned tuna attached to a small explosive in her desk. I get bored, sue me.

"J-just go away Cardin!" I heard an aussie accent plead. One hand on my scroll and the other on my sword, I moved toward the voice. Guess Cardin didn't learn his lesson last time. Texting Coco that there was four assholes who's graves needed dug and giving her my location, I stepped from the shadows. "Coco's on her way, so I suggest you let her go before I get any angrier." I told the ginger that was once again pulling on Velvet's ears.

"Oh? And do you really think I'm scared of that fashion-crazed bitch?" Cardin asked me.

"Why don't you ask her? She's standing right behind you after all." Being the idiot he is, Cardin looked behind him and I moved, slamming my still sheathed sword into his gut. "Sword Stance: Batosai." I hiss, reclipping the sheath to my belt and slash-drawing my sword in the same move. Turns out Coco was nearby, as she caught a flying Cardin before dragging him off, Yatsu and Fox right behind her. I would have gone to watch, but I was given instructions.

"Hey Allie, think you can look over bun-bun until we've handled thing here?" Coco asked me. I nodded in slight annoyance but I supposed making sure the bunny girl next to me was unharmed was a bit more important.

...

Well Cardin wasn't at classes, and Velvet was none the worse for ware. I was still bored as I watched Pyrrha kick someone who I wasn't paying attention to's ass. Wait, wasn't this a key point or something? Oh well. Pyrrha won and I heard Goodwitch speak. "Well done Miss Nikos. You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament."

I gripped my Sekiryuki as Goodwitch surveyed the students. "Alright, I know that's a tough act to follow, but we have time for one more sparring match. Any volunteers?"

"I'll do it! Nya~" I shouted instantly. "I haven't gotten to play with anyone all day and I'm bored." I added in complaint.

"Well then, I'll find you a match-up. Let's see. Ah! Mister Black, would you be so kind?" Goodwitch asked, turning to the gray-haired boy. I smiled, having planned this in advance and asked Goodwitch's help. It was surprisingly easy to get it, now that I stop to think.

Anyway, Mercury agreed and we both came to the arena. My eyes slitted and I grinned at my opponent, going over what I knew. Mercury's weapons were those shotgun boots on his tin-can legs. His fighting style is incredibly similar to Yang's, except he relies on kicks more than punches. He was also agile, meaning I'd have to keep an eye on his footwork to keep a read on his movements and I shouldn't count on a takedown finish. Plus there's that other thing Neo told me about. "Sword Stance: Sesshomaru." I mutter, drawing my sword and holding it in a one-handed longsword fashion. I'd need my Binding Magic to keep him off balance, and this stance is best for that.

"Let the match...Begin!" Goodwitch declared, our auras coming up on screen.

We met in the middle, his boot against my sword. I grinned, pointing my palm at him. "Tiger Tail Trap." I whispered. Mercury's confused, but not for long as my tails wrap around his wrists and squeeze, his aura working to keep his bones from breaking. Deciding I wanted to play with my food a bit, I released him and swung Sekiryuki, hitting him in a slice that would have cut him in two if it weren't for the fact he actually HAD aura. He did however go skidding back a bit, holding his attacked side. Mercury glared at me before firing shots from his boots. I was able to block the first ten easily, but then they started coming at me from various angles. That damn trajectory manipulation!

Thinking fast, and bemoaning the loss of my Binding Magic for the fight, I unclip Sekiryuki's sheath and whisper, "Sword Stance: Wilt and Blush." I begin blocking the attacks with both sword and sheath, absorbing the shots that hit Sekiryuki. Damn, I'm glad my DEX is one of my main stats! Mercury was a smart fighter, I'll give him that. While I was distracted by his shots, he rushed me and kicked me in the stomach, dropping my aura more than I actually expected. "Damn, that was sloppy." I berated myself.

"What's the matter? Not tired already, are you?" Mercury taunted. Oh, that assassin was asking for it! Sheathing my sword, I set for the Moonslice attack, waiting for the cocky bastard to make a move.

He rushed me, and I drew, cutting into him and I would have killed him if it weren't for the fact he backpedaled at the last second, making me just scrape against his chest and drop his aura to the red. My eyes un-slitted and I smiled. "That was really fun, little lapdog." I complimented, whispering the last part so only he could hear. Smiling my sweet smile, I returned to my seat.

And I'm bored again.

...

"Haha! Get rekt!" I laugh, watching as I KO Ruby's choice character of Zasalamel with my own choice of Talim. We had both finished our homework and decided to play one of my Soul Caliber games to pass the time. I was about to offer a rematch when I heard my phone go off. Checking the caller ID, my eyes slitted. "I've got to take this. Feel free to use the Practice mode while I'm gone." I excuse myself, going into the Forge before hitting the ACCEPT button. "What's up Torchwick?" I asked, my cutesy demeanor gone.

"We're in trouble." Roman replied, sounding almost panicked. "I don't know how, but Cinder found out."

"What do you mean?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Kitty cat, she _found_ _out_." Roman repeated.

"Is Neo with you?" I asked. This wasn't good. Not at all.

"Yeah, she's right here next to me." Roman answered.

"Get to Sanctuary. Ruby's the only one here and I've already explained the situation to her." I ordered.

"You got I-shit! Hey you little brats. What are you doing in my office?" Roman asked someone on his end.

I paled slightly as I heard a familiar voice. "We're here to make sure you don't run off, traitor." Mercury answered.

"Roman, if you can hear me, use the Key now! They won't be able to follow you without one of their own!" I shout. There were shots and the line went dead. I threw open the door to the Forge, running as fast as I could toward the gate. _Please,_ I prayed to any god listening, _Please let them be okay._

 ** _And done! Well ain't I a...wait, this is my first true cliffhanger for this story. Wow, I'm actually a little surprised by that. Well, do you guys think Roman and Neo are okay? Or will our Gamer have to mount a rescue? Find out next time, and leave a review telling me what you thought._**


	11. The cliffhanger ends

_**Well, I think I've let you guys suffer enough.**_

 _ **Okay, I'm calling on you guys who actually read these author's notes instead of skipping them like I do. I can't decide what I should do with a couple of my ships. On the one hand, if it's not Ladybug it's usually Bumblebee for me, but that just seems kinda predictable. I'm also stuck on whether or not I'm going to go into the CFVY ships or not since they're still background characters(unfortunately, but I'm trying to stick close to cannon and they only appeared a handful of times). Then there's the issue with Black Sun... well Rooster Teeth is playing at both Black Sun and Bumblebee, so why can't I. Anyway, be sure to mention it in your review if you have any shipping preferences. Now without further ado.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

The portal was open, but no one was there. That was good, right? Roman and Neo can take care of themselves, I'm probably just panicking over nothing. Shit, that was a fireball. That shouldn't have even come in. One hand on Sekiryuki, I started running for the portal. That was when Neo came through, landing on her hands and knees and the portal closing behind her.

Neo POV

How? How had things gone so wrong? It had just been Mercury and Emerald, we could take those two, but Cinder heard the commotion and after Merc ratted on us, things had gone so wrong so quickly. Roman shoved me through the portal, taking a shot from Mercury's boots for me.

"Neo! What happened?" I hear from next to me, a strong but comforting arm helping me up. I think it's Roman for a second, but realize I know this voice from somewhere else. I look into slitted green eyes and confirm my suspicions. Allie, I was in Sanctuary. "Neo? Neo, where's Roman?" she asked me, handing me my scroll. Huh, must have dropped it when Roman shoved me.

I typed out what had happened, starting with Roman on the phone with her, and ending with him shoving me into the portal. 'Allie, Roman is going to be okay, right?' I asked.

The catgirl nodded at me, pulling out her own scroll and opening some app I didn't recognize. She smiled and put my arm over her shoulder. "Come on, let's get you to Zed's." She suggested. I was too emotionally drained to protest, and she dragged me to Zed's AKA the clinic.

As soon as we came in the door, I noticed the three MED Loaders crowding around a single bed. Tapping my (friend? Were we friends?) on the shoulder, I pointed to the three bots and she just smiled, bringing me over. The Loaders parted for her, of course, and I saw who they were working on. He was badly burned, shot up, and cut in so many places, but I could see the rise and fall of his chest. I totally did not collapse on Roman's bedside, weeping in joy and relief, no matter what Allie or the MED Loaders tell you!

Allie's POV

I'm still standing a little bit away from Neo and Roman, feeling like an outsider in a family moment. I heard the gist of Roman's condition, third-degree burns, multiple gunshot wounds and lacerations. Probably a week with the tech I've got in Sanctuary. Well, he was alive, and that's what matters. I shot a text to Ozpin that I had a candidate for my team and got the reply soon after.

 _Bring them by my office, I'll have to evaluate their abilities._

I rolled my eyes. Yeah right. Neo could take any huntsman or huntress in that school with little to no issue. The problem is her criminal background. I'm sure I could spin something, maybe play the "Trial by combat" game with the Beacon headmaster. That usually worked. I did wait for another five minutes for Neo to just take in the fact Roman would be alright before nudging her. She looked at me with bloodshot eyes and a grateful smile. "What do you say we get you on my team?" I asked.

Her smile turned to a look of confusion. 'Wasn't that supposed to happen later?' she asked me.

I shrug. "That was so you could maintain your cover. Now that that plan is up in smoke, why put it off?" I explained. Neo looked at Roman's unconscious body. "He'll still be here when we get back, I promise." A nod from the ice cream queen and we were off. Don't worry, I shot a text to Ruby to explain what had happened.

...

The elevator opened and the two of us were in with Ozpin and...shit, what were Weiss and Blake doing here? And where the hell is Yang? Typing a quick message to the blonde berserker and the moe reaper, Neo and I strode into the office. "Hiya Ozpin! I brought the candidate like you asked! Nya~" I declared. "Her name is Neo Politan."

The monochrome duo turned and saw Neo. Of course they drew their weapons, of freaking COURSE! "May I ask, Miss Shnee, Miss Belladonna, what your actions are about?" Ozpin asked innocently.

"That girl is a criminal affiliated with Roman Torchwick!" Weiss snapped.

"How did she even get in here?" Blake wondered.

"She got in here from Sanctuary," I answered the cat faunus, glaring at both, "And you'll find no record of any affiliation with Roman Torchwick. Neo is just a girl who wants to become a huntress."

"And I assume if I looked over the files, I would find no hint of foul play?" Ozpin questioned, already looking at something on his desk computer.

"None! I only looked at the files, never touched em. Nya~" I sang smugly. Weiss and Blake glared at me, but sheathed their weapons when Ozpin confirmed my story. "Now, what's it gonna take to get this cutie into my team?" I asked.

"Well, as there's no formal record of miss Politan there's the issue of credibility. We cannot let just anyone into Beacon, I'm afraid." Ozpin informed.

I was tempted to point out Juane, no way he didn't know, but Neo cut me off. She strode toward Ozpin confidently, typing out a small message and laying her scroll on her desk. "Neo, what are you playing at? Nya~" I asked curiously.

"Miss Politan has just suggested a small trial. A Rite of Passage as it were." Ozpin replied. Neo took her scroll and showed it to me. Damn, she suggested my plan before I could. But there was the issue I noticed in the bargain. "Well miss Rouge, does this seem acceptable?"

I looked at Neo, she smirked and nodded. Sighing I nod along with her. "Fine." I conceded. "Maybe we'll get a show out of it." My HUD flashed.

 **Quest Update: Ice Cream Recruit**

 **Check on Roman (X)**

 **Meet with Ozpin (X)**

 **Bring Neo to fight on next day ()**

 **Accept Neo into your team ()**

How did I not notice that before? Meh, probably too worried about Neo and Roman. "So when will this be going down? Nya~" I asked, turning my attention back to Ozpin and the monochrome duo.

"I will have something set up for tomorrow. Tonight Miss Politan will stay in your dorm room if that is acceptable." Ozpin replied. I nod and turn to my possibly-new partner. Then the troll master struck again. "Miss Shnee, Miss Belladonna, will you please escort them there?"

Oh boy.

...

One day and one long explanation to the other half of Team RWBY later, Neo and I found ourselves in the changing rooms of the practice ring. "You sure about this?" I asked. "If you lose this fight, you won't get another shot."

Neo rolled her eyes at me. 'Don't worry, I'm not that easy to beat.' she replied, grabbing her umbrella from next to her. 'Besides, I'm sure you can figure out something else. Maybe a Grimm attack that you couldn't handle and I saved your ass?'

We share a giggle at the not-horrible idea if this went south. After Neo was done preparing, she and I walked to the main ring where half the school was waiting. I looked over to see who Neo would be fighting, and had to resist laughing aloud when I saw Yang standing in the ring.

This was gonna be funny.

 _ **And done! Well, Neo and Torchwick are still alive, Neo's got a chance at attending Beacon, and all she has to do is... beat Yang. Yeah, Allie really has nothing to worry about, she's getting her teammate. Or is she? Anyway, leave a review telling me what you thought as well as maybe some of your favorite ships. I remind you that AllieXNeo (Also being called Neocat, thanks for the idea) is the main ship, and I have something planned for Ruby that is not Whiterose or Rosewick. Other than that, fire away! Also, leave some sort of note on what the ship is if you use a ship name. I don't recognize all of them without help.**_


	12. Neo's entry battle

_**Alright, we're starting with Neo's POV, so you've been warned, now let's watch her curb stomp Yang. Oh come on! You know that's how it's gonna go down!**_

 _ **Oh! And I've thought of a song for Allie. Here's to never growing up by Arvil Lavigne. What do you guys think?**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Allie was on the verge of laughter. Guess that meant she knew my chances of victory. Turning to me, she asked, "Care for some info on Yang's fighting style? Or do you just wanna wing it? Nya~" she asked.

I pulled out my scroll. 'She's a basic brawler with those glorified bracelets just amplifying her attacks.' I replied, having observed the fight between Roman and RWBY.

"Yeah, but her Semblance lets her take all the punishment and give it right back." Allie warned.

'So it's a temper tantrum?' I joke. She can't contain her laughter and bursts out. Wow, she has a cute laugh. NO! Focus Neo! 'I'll be fine, trust me.' I type, smiling confidently at her. Allie smiled back as I turned toward the ring.

I suddenly felt a small pressure on my cheek. Turning back to my friend, I saw her blushing face. "For luck." she explains before hurrying off. Well...that just happened. Shaking my head to clear it, I turned to Yang, smile turning to a smirk.

Allie POV

Holy shit, I can't believe I did that! Hurrying to my front-row seat with RWB(Y) and JNPR, I fight down my rising blush as Ruby is waving a banner with Nora reading "Kick her butt, Yang!" Wonder when they made that. I slightly registered Goodwitch explaining the rules, first person who's aura hits red loses, ring out is the same, yeah right. Neo's got this.

Weiss was glaring at me. "What?" I asked innocently.

"You realize Yang's going to pulverize her, right?" she asked with a smug grin.

I laughed, catching everyone's attention. "This seems to be a fated fight, since it would have happened later. And let me tell you that in the series, the ice cream froze the sun." Leaving everyone to wonder what I meant, I turned my attention back to the ring to watch the slaughter.

"Begin!" Goodwitch declared.

Yang unleashes a shot from Ember Celica, prompting Neo to flip backwards so as to avoid the blast, landing in a crouch. Yang proceeds to walk up to Neo as she stands up, where the two stare at one another, Neo with a smile and Yang with a frown. Yang tightens her fist, and throws a simple forward punch towards Neo's face, which is deflected a belly stab from Neo, causing Yang to stumble back. Neo opens her umbrella, and the fight truely begins.

Yang dashes forwards, unleashing a flurry of several punches, resetting each time instead of redirecting her blows, as Neo simply dodges each attack, moving her body swiftly in order to avoid them in a very laid back, but extremely effective style. With every unsuccessful punch, elbow, and kick, Yang continues moving forward as her last three blows bring her to a knee, where she attempts a roundhouse kick, allowing Neo to deliver a spinning hook kick, knocking Yang to the ground, the former's guard completely open on the left side.

While on the ground, Yang growls in anger, to which Neo responds by performing a drop kick. However, Yang dodges by rolling away, and subsequently springing up to attack once again.

Neo counters through a pull in redirection of force technique, pulling Yang's arm in with her own left arm, and performing a well-executed ax kick to hit Yang on the chin, before kicking Yang in the stomach with a perfect side kick. Neo then begins pushing Yang back via her umbrella, now on the offensive, as Yang tries to counter her movements with Ember Celica. Neo is able to effortlessly push Yang back against a wall, until the latter shoots a blast directly towards the former's feet. Neo, however, simply backflips effortlessly, and she lands perfectly on a metal container, before sitting, waiting for Yang's next attack.

As Yang approaches her, Neo smiles, taunting her, before Yang unleashes another attack. Neo counters, and begins kicking Yang back. Yang unleashes another blast from Ember, which Neo blocks. The two spar briefly, hand to hand, before Yang grabs Neo's foot, and pulls her closer to throw her, (Game over) only for Neo to perfectly counter, before grappling Yang and using her momentum to throw her into the air, the dragon landing with a loud thud that knocked her unconscious.

Wow, that was almost exactly like the series, minus the sitting on a box since the ring didn't have one. I looked over to my friend's gob smacked faces and giggled. "Told you! Nya~" I sang. "Of course if Yang had pulled her in instead of tossing her, it may have gone far differently." I add thoughtfully as Neo approaches Yang's downed form. I smirked, my eyes slitting as I enjoyed the sight of my crush stopping in front of Yang, looking at her with a smug look of pure victory. I looked over to the big screen. Yang was one hit away from losing, and she was in no shape to retaliate. Neo had won and everyone knew it.

She deployed the blade in her umbrella, scratching her across the stomach and finishing the fight as the buzzer sounded. "Th-the winner is Neo Politan!" Goodwitch declared, said cutie turning to her audience and bowing with her umbrella over one shoulder and her smug grin ever-present.

Neo's POV

Well that was harder than I thought it would be. Trying to keep my heavy breathing from having to dodge the surprisingly fast attacks from Yang, I stood straight and hopped off the side of the ring and coming over to Allie. Oh, she was sitting with Red and her friends. Hope none of them are gonna react too bad to me kicking the dragon's ass. Pulling my scroll out, I typed out, 'So, think I was convincing enough?' showing it to everyone.

"I think you did great! Nya~" Allie declared, swinging behind and glomping me. I felt her boobs pressing against my back and fought to keep my composure. I asked her to get off, and she did with a slight pout.

"Well, I guess I'll be going to school with a genuine criminal." Weiss muttered.

"Nothing illegal about being a bodyguard, Ice Queen." Allie replied coldly.

"Cut her some slack, Weiss." the blonde boy, Juane I think, added. "It's not like she's all bad. Allie wouldn't have wanted to bring her to Beacon if she was." Weiss didn't respond.

'Well then, I guess I should do this properly.' I decided, catching everyone's attention. Folding my hands over my waist and bowing, I held up my scroll which read, 'My name is Neo Politan. I'm transferring into Beacon. Let's all try to get along.' Pretty much everyone laughed, and I saw Weiss cover up a small grin at my silly joke.

"Well well, look what we have here." I heard from behind me. Allie had a hand on her sword, her eyes slitted and I knew I hadn't heard wrong. Turning, I saw Cinder standing with Emerald and Mercury, smiling maliciously at me. Cinder continued speaking, "You know, you remind me of a friend who went missing recently, I wonder why that is?"

"Why she reminds you of your friend or why your friend went missing?" Allie asked, smirking, "Because I have a guess as to the second." I silent-snorted as Cinder glared at her. The trio of terror turned and left, sending me one last glare before leaving.

Red chose then to speak up. "So, why don't we have a party to celebrate Neo's win?"

...

About two hours later in Sanctuary, I was enjoying some punch by the door as everyone socialized. It was a decent party, everyone looked to be having a decent time, Allie had taken the time to introduce me to everyone, despite the fact I had tried to use my illusion to get away. I was not much for social interaction, being mute and all. But, she had somehow seen through my attempts and caught me each time. She did thankfully notice my discomfort and let me go. That pretty much sums up everything to this point.

"Here you are." I turn to see Weiss glaring at me. "Listen closely, because I don't like repeating myself. Allie and the others may trust you, but I don't. If you give me any reason to even _think_ you are going to harm me or my friends, I will not hesitate to end you. Understood?" I nod. Holy shit this girl was scary right now. She gives me one final glare before joining the rest.

"Hey everybody!" Yang called, "Why don't we go a few rounds of Truth-or-Dare?" Huh, I had never played that game before. Always wanted to though, so I joined in with Ruby, Nora, Ren, Blake, Allie, and to my surprise, Weiss. Juane and Pyrrha blush wildly and ditch for the library. Wonder what that's about.

Allie POV

I have a bad feeling about this.

 _ **Well, that's that. Neo's a member of Allie's team, Yang got owned, and Weiss is mistrustful of the Ice Cream Queen. So, what did you guys think? Big thanks to King Kimi for the battle scene, I couldn't have written something that good, but otherwise what did people like or not like? And I'm still taking shipping suggestions so feel free to drop those as well. Until next time!**_


	13. Truth-or-Dare Take 2

_**Welcome back my loyal readers! Well, I guess I really shouldn't keep you waiting for this and I have no real announcements, so without further ado. And to be honest, I feel like I could have done better on the last Truth-or-Dare so I decided to try again.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I came over to the circle, curious why Juane and Pyrrha weren't joining... oh yeah, that French kiss from last time. Well now it makes more sense that those two bailed...SHIT NEO'S PLAYING! And I wouldn't put it past Yang to get us to reenact that little bit from last time. This was not going to be fun. Well, not if I got the dragon's attention. Explaining the rules from last time, we decided that since Neo was the newbie, she would go first. The bottle (this time a 2 liter coke bottle) spun and landed on Weiss.

'Truth or Dare?' Neo asked the heiress.

"Truth." she replied.

'Alright, it's something I'm curious about anyway. Got any foods you just can't get enough of?' Neo asked. Huh, that was actually a really simple question, no real sadism there.

"Well I do enjoy a good coffee cake every now and again." Weiss replied, taking an interest in her drink.

"Didn't you drool the last time I made one during one of my stress baking episodes?" Ruby asked, earning a laugh from everyone but Weiss, who just blushed. I was wrong! There was some sadism in Neo's question.

It was Ren's turn, and he spun it to land on Blake. The cat faunus went with truth and Ren surprised us with his question. "Do you have a crush on Sun?"

"Wh-ho-wh-" Blake mumbled, her red face all the answer any of us needed. Well, there went my Bumblebee ship. Oh well, better luck next time.

Yang was up next, and I briefly considered using my magic to avoid the targeting. Turned out I didn't need to as it landed on Ruby. "Alright sis, truth or dare?" Yang asked with a predatory grin. Oh, she had something planned.

"Dare." Ruby challenged, staring her sister down.

"Alright, I dare you to call your crush and tell her you think they're cute." I take it back, this is fun!

Ruby blushed wildly and rubbed her hands together. "I don't think she has a scroll. She never gave me a number."

"Oh, that just won't do." I mutter, looking through my inventory. Where was it? Ah! Here we go! Pulling out a small emerald ring, I tackled Ruby and slipped it onto her finger.

"What the heck, Allie?" Ruby demanded, looking at the ring.

"So, do you have your crush's number?" I ask, smirking.

"Yeah, of course I do." Ruby replied automatically. "Wait! Why did I?"

"Truth ring. Anyone wearing it is forced to tell the truth. I forgot to pull it out earlier, but this makes things more fun. Nya~" I sang, grinning at the outed reaper.

Mumbling some things I didn't think she was capable of, Ruby pulled out her scroll and dialed a number. Putting the device to her ear, she waited a few seconds before I heard someone pick up. I was genuinely surprised when Ruby said, "Hey Penny, it's Ruby."

"Penny?" I mouthed toward the rest of Ruby's team. They just shrugged. Guess this was news to them too.

"Well, a bunch of us are playing a game, and part of it happened to be me telling you something." Ruby was saying. She paused for a moment, letting Penny talk probably, before saying, "Well, it's just-I think you're cute!" she said quickly. We then got to watch for about three minutes as Ruby had to explain what she meant to the only person on Remnant possibly more naïve than me. Weiss was hiding an amused smirk, Yang and Nora were suppressing laughter so Ruby could hear the android(robot?) on the other end, Ren and Blake seemed rather unsurprised by this, and Neo just rolled her eyes at the whole display.

Ruby and Penny's conversation ended and she turned to everyone. "Go ahead, get it out." the reaper sighed. Yang and Nora laughed, the former going on about her little sister was growing up. The rest of us just stayed quiet. The game went back on and Blake was the one to spin the bottle, ending on me.

I decided on truth and Blake asked me, "What exactly is your next move?" Ruby threw me the ring and I slipped it on easily.

"My next move is going to be getting my third teammate. Got no idea what I'm gonna do about the last slot, though." I replied. Not the whole truth, but they didn't need to know every detail.

Nora was next, spinning the bottle and landing on Yang. "Truth or Dare?" the Valkyrie asked.

"Dare." Yang replied with a smirk.

"Alright, I dare you..." Nora thought for a second before deciding, "To kiss Weiss!" Everyone looked at her like she had grown a second head.

"Um, why Weiss?" Blake asked, voicing the question on everyone's mind.

"Well kissing Ruby would be too weird, they're sisters!" Nora explained, "And I'm pretty sure Allie would kill me if I had her kiss Neo and vice versa," Not inaccurate, "Plus Blake already has a crush on Sun, so it wouldn't be as much fun as if the monkey boy was here. That only leaves Weiss."

'What about Ren?' Neo asked. My hand was on Sekiryuki as Nora gave my crush the scariest glare I had ever seen. Neo shrunk back slightly, hand reaching for her umbrella subconsciously before we heard Yang speak.

"Eh, screw it." Everyone's eyes were on the blonde brawler as she pressed her lips to the ice queen's. Nora wolf-whistled, Ruby looked like she had shorted out trying to process her sister kissing her partner, Ren just rolled his eyes, and Blake had a slight nosebleed. Yang took her seat again with Weiss just blushing wildly.

She eventually regained enough of her composure to spin, landing on Yang. This was going to be interesting. Yang, true to form, chose Dare and Weiss smirked. "Allie, do you have that thing I asked about?" she asked me. I grinned. So _that's_ what that was for. Hurrying off, I found what I wanted and returned with a t-shirt reading "I'm a brute who can't think without help." Weiss smirked at Yang. "I dare you to wear that all day tomorrow." Weiss challenged. Yang glared at her teammate, but took the shirt from me and slipped off her jacket, pulling the shirt over her head before replacing her jacket.

Ruby was next to spin, and it landed on Neo. "Truth or Dare?" the reaper asked.

'Dare.' Neo replied, smirking at little Red.

Ruby looked at me and grinned, like _my grin_ when I'm about to be mischievous. No way. She wouldn't. She WOULDN'T! "I dare you to French kiss Allie." HOLY SHIT, SHE ACTUALLY DID IT!

"Did Pyrrha put you up to this?" I demanded. That had to be it. Ruby smirked as she slipped the ring on.

"Pyrrha didn't put me up to anything." She replied. Damn! She had to be telling the truth. Maybe it was Juane? No, he wouldn't do that, right?

I felt a tug on my sleeve and looked to Neo, who was blushing wildly. She held up her scroll. 'Only if it's okay with you.' was the message on it. On the one hand, I did _really_ want to. On the other, we had just established a decent friendship and I was still worried I would screw it up by moving too fast.

Then I made a choice to quote Yang. "Eh, screw it." And frenched my new teammate. Huh, guess I should have expected her to taste like Neapolitan ice cream, but it was surprising nonetheless. Neo stiffened in slight shock, but she lost herself quickly enough and returned the kiss. After what felt like hours but, as I was later informed, was about a minute later, we separated. "Wow." I breathed. Neo's blushing wildly, looking anywhere but me. "Hey, wanna get dinner this Saturday?" I asked. Hey, I just stuck my tongue down her throat, I think I can ask her out at this point.

'I would love to.' was the reply. I smiled widely before grabbing the bottle and spinning it. I may have cheated a little bit when it ended up on Ruby, who looked ready to bolt as I grinned at her. "Alright Ruby, Truth or Dare?"

This was going to be a fun night.

 _ **And done! Well, I think it's fair to say some ships have sailed, others sank. Let me make it clear, I'm most likely not doing a full Freezerburn ship, I just felt like teasing it. Now, what did you guys think? Did any of you expect Nuts and Dolts? Do you think I did okay for a second try? And who expected Ruby of all people to get Allie and Neo together? Oh! And I may not have this be the last Truth-or-Dare episode, so be prepared, but for now I think I'm gonna start working on my next story arc. Well, leave a review telling me what you thought, and I'll see you next time!**_


	14. Christmas Special

_**What? I've got to do a Christmas episode! It is Christmas after all.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I was running around Vale, trying to find a good present for Neo. It had been almost a two weeks since our kiss, and after a couple dates, we decided to make it official. Yep, Neo's my girlfriend! I still get giddy saying that. But I'm not the only one. Apparently after I had Pyrrha French Juane, the dense blonde started looking at his partner a bit differently. They had started going out just last Tuesday. I'll probably play around with the Nuts and Dolts ship during Christmas itself, but that's for tomorrow.

Back to business. I had gotten presents for everyone but Neo, and I was starting to panic. You know that feeling of never finding that perfect gift for your special someone? Yeah, that about sums up my feelings right now. Seriously, I needed to come up with something! Neo's probably got my present picked out already!

Neo's POV

I have absolutely no idea what to get Allie! What do you get the girl who can literally have anything? Roman was being no help, of course, and I was on the verge of panicking. I was new to being in a relationship, what if I screwed up and she didn't like me anymore? What if I do get her something, and she's disappointed? All the "what ifs" started buzzing in my head when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned to see Yang looking at me with concerned sisterly eyes. I only knew because Ruby was in a similar state to me yesterday and Yang had the same look.

"Hey, Christmas troubles?" she asked.

I nodded. 'I can't think of anything Allie would want that she doesn't have.' I explained.

"What about cat nip?" I think I blushed, because Yang laughed soon after speaking. "You actually considered it?"

'It's my fallback.' I admitted. Yang laughed for a good minute before calming down. 'Any other bright ideas?'

"Whetstone for Sekiryuki?" was Yang's (admittedly decent) idea.

I shook my head. 'She just finished applying a modification that makes it to where the thing never dulls. Not a bad idea, though.'

I could see the blonde thinking hard. Didn't know she had it in her. I started thinking too. Maybe if I...no that wouldn't work, I can't program. Maybe she'd like... no, she already has two of those. Oh! I could...no, I'm no good at robot building. Wow, I need to expand my skillset. I kept thinking, but it was Yang that spoke first. "I've got it! She was talking about it for ages! How about..."

Allie POV

No. No. No. Maybe. No, that's no good either! Ugh, I need to think of something! Wait. Maybe I can make her something. There was that thing I was going to build. I'd have to modify her Key too, but that was easy.

…

Neo and I smirked at each other as we crept towards Sanctuary's loudspeaker control, careful not to make any noise. Not difficult for a master thief and catgirl who's DEX is her highest stat by at least fifty points. I took my place at the mic while Neo pressed the button, nodding to me. In my best radio-host voice, I called, "Good morning everyone!" I took a minute to enjoy the annoyed groans downstairs before continuing. "It is now eight o'clock on Christmas day, and judging by the mountain of presents under the tree in the town square, Santa's been here. So everyone get up, get dressed, and get ready to have a Merry Christmas!" I motioned to Neo to cut off the connection and we laughed for a good few minutes before joining everyone in the square. I thought to check my HUD and checked the event quest.

 **Event Quest: Merry Christmas!**

 **Wake your friends up (X)**

 **+With Neo's help (X)**

 **Meet in Town Square (X)**

 **Hand out presents ()**

 **?()**

I have to admit, I'm curious what the last one will be. Probably a boss fight. Wouldn't be much of a quest without a boss fight. Anyway, everyone glared at me and Neo as we approached. Guess that's what happens when you wake everyone up very loudly, huh? "Who wants presents? Nya~" I asked. Blake, Weiss, and Ren were the only ones unaffected by my question, continuing to glare while the five-year-old came out in everyone else and they crowded around the tree, eager to see what they had gotten. We ended up tearing into them all at once, not bothering with turns.

I was unsurprised to see Ruby get some parts for Crescent Rose and packs upon packs of cookies. She also got some books I didn't recognize and one I most certainly did. "Um, Yang? I think I got one of your presents."

"Nope." I cut in, popping the P. "That one's for you." I had gotten her a book on tae-kwon-do. "Figured since you carry that mechanical monster on you all the time, you'd be strong enough to make use of it."

"But I have my baby! I won't replace her!" Ruby protested.

"And you don't have too, Red." Roman replied. Side note, he and Ruby got along surprisingly well nowadays. "But what happens when you get separated by that oversized gardening tool?" Ruby deflated at the question. "Exactly. But don't worry, I happen to know some tae-kwon-do myself. I can always help you out." he offered, reaching for his lighter.

"Roman, not next to the tree." I snapped. Roman took two large steps to his left and lit his cigar. Everyone opened their presents, each smiling and thanking the gifter as they progressed through their pile. Weiss had gotten some dust canisters for her sword as well as some opera and classical I and apparently Blake thought she'd like, a book on anger management (Weiss joked she had gotten one of Yang's presents until the blonde had pulled out an identical copy. Neo only grinned at the two), and some books that looked suspiciously non-school related and some I recognized from the North Wing of the library. Huh, who'da thunk it?

Blake had gotten some multi-elemental clips for Gambol Shroud, some Ninjas of Love books, and an instruction book for the Shadow Clone Jutsu. I figured since it was already her semblance, the book could help her upgrade it. Pretty much everyone got some dust to help their weapons, some books they would enjoy reading, and maybe an anime here and there. I myself got some books I had wanted to add to my library, some files I needed for future plans, that one was definitely Roman despite the fact the from line was empty, and to my surprise, and utter delight, a Thermal Virgo 135 MS stamina type beyblade. I checked the from line and saw Neo had gotten it. Turning to my girlfriend, I smiled and kissed her in front of everyone, not caring in the slightest.

Let me explain, that Virgo bey is one I had back on Earth. I had lost it ages ago, and since it had taken me ages to get the parts, the old Metal Masters beys were way out of style by then, I had finally pulled it off. Hell, I still had the launcher in case I ever found it. Pulling away from my kiss and calling out said launcher from my inventory, I smiled as I loaded the top. "Let it Rip!" I called, pulling the ripchord. The bey launched and spun in a few intricate patterns before returning to me. "Thank you so much Neo. I love it." I declared, smiling at her.

Neo smiled back before looking at her gifts. It was more of the same, books, some dust I would probably help her turn into bombs or something, and a Beacon uniform since she didn't actually more than one. Guess Weiss was warming up to my ice cream scoop. She was on her last present. My present. She opened it to show a small square resting inside. 'Um, Allie? Explain please.' Neo requested.

"It installs into your Key. As for what it's for...care for a trip to the garage?" Everyone stood, following us toward Scooter's as I opened the side door. Everyone gawked as they saw what was waiting inside. "Just use your Key and call it any time you need it. Nya~" I explain with a smile.

Now two things. First, Neo's Key is directly linked to her brainwaves so it can kinda read her mind. Makes it easier to use since, you know, mute. The second is the giant robot sitting in the middle of my garage. It had taken longer than I thought to get ahold of the parts, but I had assembled a Gundam. I had gone with the Unicorn model because reasons. Also, I had kinda binge-watched the UC series with Neo a few days back and she was absolutely in love with the powerful mech. As for Neo, she was grinning wildly, throwing her arms around me. "I take it you like it?" I asked humorously.

'I love it! Allie, thank you so much.' Was her reply after she had let go.

"I know a good place to test it out, just have to imprint it onto you." I offered.

...

Deep in the Emerald Forest, I grinned and motioned to Neo.

Neo's POV

This was it, I'd get to drive the Gundam of my (recent) dreams. Closing my eyes, I smiled and thought, _Come forth, my Unicorn!_ and felt the surge of power as the Vault opened.

 _ **And done! What? You thought I was going to give a demonstration of Neo's new toy? I'm not that nice a guy, in fact I'm a bit of a jackass for cutting it here. But hey, my story, my rules. Anyway, merry Christmas and I hope everyone enjoys/enjoyed theirs. Leave a review telling me what you thought and I'll see you next time.**_


	15. Plot and Scheme

_**Alright, let's get this story arc going. Sorry it's been a while, I've been busy with real-life stuff.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos.**_

I scanned the files Roman had gotten me on the White Fang. It had been about a week since Christmas. I may or may not have tricked Penny and Ruby into going on a date with Yang's help, but that was a story for another time. Right now, I was figuring out how to kill two birds with one stone.

What am I doing, you may ask? I'm going to convince the White Fang to take a different path. Now let me make this perfectly clear, I don't mean going back to how things were. No, I had a whole new plan of attack. And no, the plan is not "attack." I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to see my girlfriend looking at me in concern. "I'm alright, just frustrated." I assured.

'Your plan will work. What's the problem?' she asked.

"The problem is I have to figure out how to explain it so Sienna Khan doesn't laugh me out of the room." I replied, leaning against the holo-table and sighing. "I've only got one shot at this. If I screw up, it'll set us back weeks if not irreparably damage all my ongoing plans."

'So no pressure.' Neo joked.

I giggled. "Thanks, I needed that." I sighed. "Did you find out what I asked?" Neo's look told me all I needed to know. "It's fine. _That_ fight is still a long way off, so we have time to find one."

Neo began typing something, but was interrupted by a smiling Roman. "You two lovebirds will never guess what I found out!" he laughed, tossing some files onto the table. "Go ahead, take a look." he urged.

Rolling my eyes, I looked through the files. I couldn't believe my eyes. "Roman, how did you?"

"Turns out if you focus on a certain area when opening a portal, that Key of yours can take you anywhere in the world." the crime lord replied, backing to the balcony and lighting a cigar.

"Roman my friend, you may have just saved my ass. Nya~" I grinned, reading over the files again. This was good, this was really good.

The next half-hour was mostly Neo and I bouncing strategies off each other, and the five minutes after that found the two of us running to make it to class with Port.

...

Seriously, did Port ever shut up about himself? I was so glad when the bell rang and we made for lunch. After some conversation and food with RWBY and JNPR, we were headed to combat class. I was still fine-tuning my plans for the White Fang when Neo bumped me, pointing to an annoyed Goodwitch. "Um, my turn? Nya~" I asked.

"Actually, if you were listening instead of daydreaming, you would know that I asked if you could tell us why we had our combat classes when our main objective is to fight Grimm." Goodwitch replied.

"That's easy, because bandits and rouge huntsman are a real thing." I replied, kinda confused at the simple question. "Grimm are predictable enough with study and experience, but humans and faunus tend to be less predictable during a fight. Least that's my way of seeing it."

Goodwitch looked slightly shocked by my explanation, now that I looked only Neo wasn't, before nodding. "Yes, that is exactly correct, Miss Rouge. Now, since you seem to be bored, would you care to start the sparring?"

"Only if I get to play with Neo! Nya~" I replied. Again, everyone but Neo herself was shocked. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, not only was she my teammate, but we weren't exactly keeping our relationship a secret.

We both hopped into the ring, grinning at each other. "Now even though you two are partners, I don't want either of you holding back." Goodwitch said sternly. No fear of that. "Are both combatants ready?" We nodded, Neo laying her umbrella over her shoulders and me fingering Sekiryuki's handguard. "BEGIN!"

"Sword Stance: Gilded Thorn!" I called, unclipping the sheathe from my belt and drawing Sekiryuki in the same motion, charging my girlfriend.

She blocked me, of course. Blocking and dodging were eighty percent of her fighting style after all, but I swung the sheathe in my left hand at her. She saw it coming and leaped back. Then she decided to charge me. Completely taken by surprise, I swung my sword only to shatter the illusion I was watching. My eyes slitted as I blocked the attack at my left reflexively. Neo grinned at me, I grinned back. We kept going like that, blocking each other's attacks over and over, trying to gain an advantage and finding none. Neo was just too fast to be hit and Gilded Thorn covered my openings well. Neither of us was gaining ground, and we were loving it.

Block, backstep, strike, retreat, strike, block. Over and over, we continued our deadly dance, grinning like maniacs. But, all good things had to come to an end. This end came about five minutes later when we were both panting from fighting for five minutes straight when a buzzer sounded. "That's enough." Goodwitch declared. "I'm forced to call this fight a draw." I pouted, but nodded as we took our seats. "Alright, while that is near impossible to follow up, we still have time for sparring. Who else wishes to go?"

Cardin stepped up with some first-year I didn't recognize, and I went back to my planning.

Neo POV

That was...exhilarating. No one had given me such a challenge before. Now more than ever, I thanked whatever god sent Allie to us and gave an escape from Cinder. I smiled one of my genuine smiles and thought over the past month or so. Wow, had it really been that long? How time flies. I looked over to Allie to see her tapping at some screen invisible to me. Probably looking over her skills or searching for dungeons. From what I had gathered, she's nearing level thirty-five, though I wonder just how close she was. I thought over everything she had shared with me. Her plans to take out Cinder and the boss, Salem I think was her name, her plan to reform the White Fang, some stories of her past I'm sure only I was privy to. Wow, Allie really tells me a lot. Is it because she trusts me or because I can't exactly spill her secrets? Nah, probably the former.

I refocus on the fight happening in front of me. Cardin. That guy rubbed me the wrong way, though I'm not sure why. Seeing nothing of interest, just trading blows with no real pattern, I looked over all the people near me. Little Red was a surprisingly easy girl to get along with. Her bubbly personality made me laugh more often than not, especially when she was bugging the Ice Queen. That ginger with the hammer, Nora I think, was hanging off her partner's arm. Allie was right, they are so obvious. Blondie and the amber-eyed cat were whispering to each other, of what I didn't care to find out. Ice Queen was carefully studying both fighters, I guess she was trying to learn something. Juane and Pyrrha were stealing glances, not surprising. Red noticed me looking around and smiled.

"Trying to get a read on all of us?" she teased. I smirk and shrug. "Well come on. Share what you've learned." she pressed. I rolled my eyes and pulled out my scroll.

...

Well, classes are officially done and I'm hanging with Allie. We were just chatting really, mostly about how annoying our assignments are from our various classes or how we could tag-team our enemies into submission. 'We could try practicing a combo move during the long weekend.' I pointed out.

"Long weekend?" she asked, tilting her head in confusion.

'Yeah, four day weekend so we can welcome the visiting students. Did you forget?'

"Maybe?" I laughed and Allie pouted. "Well excuse me for not checking my calendar." she huffed indignantly. Then her expression turned thoughtful, complete with finger on her chin. "That could be the getaway we need." she muttered. Smiling, she turned to me and asked, "Hey Neo, ever busted into the White Fang HQ?"

 _ **And done! I feel like something went wrong with this one, but I have no idea what. Care to share in your reviews? Also, I've come up with something for Yang's pairing, but I'll be saving that for a while. Not entirely sure what I'm gonna do with Wiess but I'll figure something, and I've got a few other characters I wanna play with. Anyway, just leave a review telling me what you thought and I'll see you guys next time.**_


	16. White Fang infiltration

_**Starting with Neo's POV, just a heads up.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I smirked as I surveyed the building. The White Fang definitely built this one to compensate for something. To be honest though, I was surprised how easy it was to get here. Guess most of the guards were on the inside. This place was kinda out-of-the-way. Hell, the only reason we knew to come to the less populated area of Menagerie is because we went to talk to Blake beforehand.

Anyway, I looked to Allie, who had changed from her taco cat shirt and skinny-jeans to what looked like what you'd expect from a ninja. Seriously, skintight black clothes like some ninja character. All she was missing was the mask. She looked at me, and I could tell she was grinning. Huh, guess she's trying pink eyes today. "Shall we?" Allie asked me. I nod and we both vanish Naruto style.

Third Person POV

Sienna Khan had many things going for her as leader of the White Fang. She was charismatic, intelligent, and her honed senses and instincts alerted her to almost any danger well in advance. So when two girls appeared in her throne room completely undetected, she was understandably surprised. One was a cat faunus with a million-watt smile that just _radiated_ mischief, and a hand on a katana as she surveyed the area. The other was a smirking girl with pink and brown hair and eyes with an umbrella lazily put over her shoulder.

And Sienna Khan's instincts warned her these two were dangerous. The guards in the throne room pointed their weapons at the two intruders, and the cat faunus spoke. "No need for that. We come in peace." she declared.

"You'll understand if we don't trust that, I'm sure." the tiger faunus replied, glaring at the girl.

"Yeah, guess so." the cat conceded. "Well, how about introducing ourselves? I'm Allison N Rouge, but you can call me Allie if that's easier for you. Everyone else does." the girl, Allison, gestured to her companion, "And this cutie is Neo Politan, my teammate and girlfriend. We're here to talk to you about the White Fang's rep and how to maybe fix it."

Sienna bristled at the casual tone Allison was using. It was like she didn't see the twenty weapons pointed at her. "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

"Look, I get that the faunus are treated like crap. Hell, first time I hung out with Neo in Vale I got a drink poured on me for no good reason. But the fact is that your current method is making even other faunus hate you. Kinda like trying to force an idea down someone's throat, it isn't being received well."

"And what would you suggest?" Sienna snapped angrily. "Peace did nothing!"

"And it won't on it's own. You know it, I know it, and most of the world knows it." Allison replied calmly. "But try to fit a square block into a round hole, you won't get much more than a broken play set. Now, have you ever heard of a subtle infiltration method?" Sienna glared at the cat faunus, but gestured for her to continue. "Well, it's actually simple. You have the main force go back to how things were, but have a splinter group who is willing to get their hands dirty on the side. Do some investigating into political leaders. If it's really their opinion instead of some form of pressure, arrange an accident. If a place isn't willing to allow faunus inside, make sure everyone is out and make a small fire that 'gets out of control.' Subtly start placing faunus in places of power. Things will start changing without anyone realizing before it's already too late."

Sienna was silent. It actually wasn't a bad plan. But there was still something that was bugging her. "What do you get out of this?" the leader wondered.

"Well, there is a spot on my team that could be filled by a White Fang member trying to show you aren't all bloodthirsty savages." Allison replied with a shrug. Neo was smirking beside her girlfriend still. So that was the play. "Think about it. The White Fang, returning to their more peaceful days, and not only that, one is willing to defend the people as a huntsman or huntress. I checked with a friend of mine who's good at this kinda thinking, and she agrees with me that the media will eat that up."

She may not be very respectful of Sienna's authority, but damn if she isn't smart to make up for it. Not only was she suggesting a decent plan, she was thinking of the consequences. But there was still something. "I still don't know why you would bother coming here. What is your endgame?"

"Get the White Fang out of the equation for Beacon's fall." Both Sienna and Neo were slightly shocked at the still casual answer. "Personally, I don't care how underhanded your splinter group gets, but if you end up even partially responsible for the destruction of my home," a black aura surrounded the girl and Sienna's instincts told her to _'Run!'_ Just who the hell was this girl? "I will send every last one of you to hell with a smile on my face. Are we clear?" The White Fang leader nodded and the aura vanished. "Good! Well, I've given my plan. What do you think? Nya~"

Okay, that was a little weird, but Sienna supposed she could ignore it. "I think it will work wonderfully. Though I am curious as to who will be a good fit for your team."

"Well, there's someone in your order that actually has ties to a friend of mine. Think you could get a miss Ilia Amitola here?"

Allie's POV

We had to wait till the next day, but we did get our meeting with Ilia. This wouldn't exactly be easy, she doesn't exactly like humans. It was with good reason, but it still would be a project. And I had to figure out how the hell I was gonna spin this with Blake. _That_ was going to be fun. Eh, I'm sure I can pull something off.

I was looking through Abyss Auction, but I couldn't find much of anything interesting so I signed off and went to the Dungeon Locator to see if there was anything useful nearby. I typed in the filter I needed, and found nothing. I puffed my cheeks in annoyance before hearing a knock at the door. "It's open!" I called. A White Fang grunt popped his head in. "Oh, time to meet my possible new teammate? Nya~" I asked. The grunt nodded and I smiled, pushing myself off the wall I was leaning on and grabbing Neo's hand. "Let's go!" I cheered.

Ilia's POV **(Possible OOC warning, please be nice)**

I have to admit, I was surprised when I was called to the headquarters of the White Fang by none other than Sienna Khan herself. And it was something about furthering our cause, if the grunt that came to get me was to be believed, so of course I came immediately. I entered the throne room and bowed before the high leader. "Rise, sister." I did as commanded and High Leader Sienna Khan looked me over. "After a meeting with a rather... interesting individual last night, I have decided to attempt a new strategy for our cause." she told me. I was a little curious at the hesitation, but stayed silent. "And part of that plan involves this individual, a huntress, taking one of our own into her team."

I bowed my head before speaking, "With all due respect, high leader, what does this have to do with me?" I asked.

"The huntress has asked for you specifically." was my reply. I mentally checked over my list of acquaintances and wondered who could have asked for me to become a huntress. Could it have been Blake? No, that couldn't be it.

I was about to ask who had requested me when the doors burst open and two girls walked in. "Hiya Sienna! I was told you had a chameleon here?" One of them, a cat faunus I didn't recognize, called happily. The girl with a rather peculiar hair color poked her shoulder and pointed at me. The first turned to me and smiled. "Hello, you must be Ilia! I'm Allison N Rouge, but you can call me Allie if that's easier. I'm the one who asked to meet you."

That made no sense to me. I know I had never met this girl before, so why had she asked me of all people? Deciding I would ask that later, I nodded to the strangely bubbly faunus and replied, "It's an honor to meet you Miss Rouge, but I must ask how you know of me."

Miss Rouge frowned at me. "Miss Rouge makes me feel old, Allie is fine." she told me. "Now as for why I asked for you, I happen to know how talented you are with both your weapon and your stealth operations." Both the High Leader and I gripped our weapons at hearing that. I caught sight of the girl behind Miss Rou- Allie, and it seemed like she was snickering. "I'm not worried by the less-than-legal side of it. Neo here is a crime lord's right hand after all."

My grip relaxed on my whip, but my hand didn't leave it. "And how did you hear about my talents?" I questioned.

Allie smiled mischievously and waved her finger. "That's. A. Secret. Nya~" she sang. That was a little weird. The strange girl was still smiling as she spoke. "So, what do you say? Wanna become a huntress?"

"I don't see much for my talents against Grimm." I pointed out.

"If Blake can do it, you can do it." Allie replied dryly.

"You know Blake?" I asked, a little too hopefully.

Allie nodded. "Yep! She's a friend of mine!" she replied. "So, do you wanna become a huntress?"

Allie's POV

So, Ilia accepted, and I shot a text to RWBY, JNPR, and Ozpin about the new candidate, keeping out who it actually was again. I quickly scrolled through my inventory, finding another of the Keys I had made for my team. Ilia had gone to pack her things, and we had decided to meet at the docks. Not sure why we don't just meet at her place and tele...oh yeah, I didn't explain the Gamer. Guess there's another long explanation in my future.

Well, after looking around the island a bit and making sure Neo wasn't pickpocketing too much we ended up at the docks. Ilia was waiting and I took the chance to check her outfit. She was wearing her stealth suit and just has a common backpack with a single suitcase. Guess she travels light. "Hiya Ilia!" I called, waving from the other end of the pier.

Ilia turned and waved back. I approached with my gigawatt smile and she returned with a shy smile of her own. Guess I shouldn't expect too much, I did just meet her today. I pulled the Key out from my pocket and handed it to her. "Here you're gonna need this."

"What is it?" the brunette asked, looking at the Key like I had handed her some weird object. Well, I guess to a casual observer, it would be weird so the reaction makes sense.

My smile turned to a mischievous grin as I turned toward the end of the dock. "I open the path to Sanctuary." the passphrase slipped from my lips effortlessly and the portal appeared. Ilia jumped slightly and I smiled. "This way. It's quicker." We stepped into the portal, and were welcomed by RWBY and JNPR as we stepped into my base. Oh boy.

 _ **And done! Well, I did say she was on the list back when Allie and Oz discussed it first. Now the question is how well will the next few days go? Will Ilia be able to enter Beacon at all? Will she be able to work through her feelings for Blake? Tune in next time and leave a review telling me what you thought of this chapter.**_


	17. New member!

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

So, there was a rather awkward point where Blake and Ilia couldn't look each other in the eye. That triggered the trip to Ozpin's office pretty quickly. "So, what's your story?" Nora asked, popping up in front of my (possibly) new teammate. Damn, not fast enough.

Ilia looks to me and I just shrug. Sighing, the brunette replied, "Well, the White Fang are apparently enacting a new method to spread our message, and the one who suggested it also suggested one of the members to fill a spot on her huntress team. So, here I am I guess."

"You're from the White Fang?" Weiss asked, glancing warily at the chameleon. Ilia nodded and the Ice Queen turned to me. "This wouldn't have anything to do with what you were asking me about the other day, would it?"

"Of course!" I chirped, smiling my best smile at her. "You really thought I asked for my own curiosity?"

"Well it is you we're talking about." Weiss mumbled.

"Touché." I said with an eye roll. The elevator dinged and I smiled at everyone. "Well, this thing isn't big enough for everyone. I think Neo, Ilia and I will head up first. Everyone else can fight over who follows us." I didn't wait for a response before pulling my girlfriend and the chameleon into the elevator just as the doors began closing.

'That wasn't exactly nice, Allie.' Neo pointed out.

I shrugged. "They'll be up pretty fast anyway. And hopefully this won't be as much of a fiasco as when you joined Beacon."

"What happened when Neo started at Beacon?" Ilia asked. We spent most of the ride up explaining Neo's past, the bet she made with Ozpin, and the resulting dragon beatdown. " _You_ beat that blonde chick with the big boobs?" was the first question, giving my girlfriend a once-over. "How strong are you?"

'I'm not all that strong, but I _am_ agile, smart, and good with my umbrella.' Neo replied with one of her signature smirks. The elevator dinged again and we were in the headmaster's office again.

"How did you get here ahead of me?" I asked the White Fang High Leader. Sienna just smirked as she looked at us. "Explaining my little idea to Ozpin?" I guessed. This time she nodded.

"Miss Khan had actually just finished explaining her new plans for the White Fang. It is an interesting proposal, and with her records of your new candidate's performances, I see no reason not to allow her onto your team." Ozpin explained.

"Have you lost your mind Ozpin?" Glynda demanded. Wow, she was cranky today. And this was way easier than the last time.

"There has to be a catch. There always is with things this easy." Ilia said warily. Huh, she had the same thought I did.

"The catch is you'll be watched closely by the other students and faculty so you don't participate in any illegal activities." Ozpin replied easily.

'A probationary period.' Neo guessed. 'Why did we not think of that?'

"I did. Figured you curbstomping whoever Ozpin called out would be a better test of your skills." I replied easily. The elevator dinged behind me and RWBY appeared. "So, I guess Ilia is accepted into Beacon on probation. So, that went way better than I expected. Nya~"

"Does she do that a lot?" I heard Ilia ask. Neo smiled and nodded. My new teammate looked slightly weirded out, but we all knew she'd get used to it pretty quickly. Even Blake doesn't glare at me nearly as much as she used to. Thanking Ozpin, we all took the elevator back down to a rather annoyed JNPR. "So, I guess I'm in." Ilia declared with a shy smile.

"Yippie! A new friend!" Nora cheered, hug-tackling my new teammate to the ground. Ilia turned a couple shades of pink at the ginger's instant attack, which she took notice of. "Ooh, fancy. What other colors can you do?"

Ilia POV

Well this is embarrassing. I know I'm turning colors, but it doesn't seem like any of them mind. Of course, _Blake_ is here. Not to mention my weird teammate with the (kinda cute but don't tell her I said that) mewl. Nora took notice of my color-change and smiled, asking me, "What other colors can you do?"

The quiet boy in green, Ren I found out later, rolled his eyes and took the overly affectionate ginger off of me. "Nora, we've talked about hug-tackling people." he reprimanded halfheartedly.

Nora just giggled an apology as Yang appeared by my side. She was wearing a carefree smile as she held her hand out. I don't entirely know what it was that made me, but I took it and was pulled to my feet. "Thanks." I mumble.

Yang patted me on the shoulder (ow!) and replied, "No problem. Name's Yang. The girl who just knocked you on your back is Nora, the guy who pulled her off of you is Ren, and..." She wet on to introduce the rest of JNPR and her own team RWBY.

"Actually, I already know Blake." I replied, maybe a little harsher than I had intended. There was a slightly awkward pause before Ruby began questioning me about anything she could think of. I ended up telling her about my weapon, some of the times I had needed to handle some Grimm in the field, and some of how my color changing works. I don't know when exactly Allie had opened the portal, but we walked through and were at the HQ before we knew it.

Neo's POV

Well, the welcome party was in full swing with pizza, soda, and cake all around. I smiled as I leaned against the balcony railing, watching Yang and Nora get into an arm-wrestling contest with each girl's team cheering her on. It was a struggle, but Yang triumphed in the end and RWBY cheered rather loudly. I snickered as I glanced around for the guest of honor. Ah, Ilia was off to the side, just watching the others' antics. Not that I can blame her, these guys get a little rowdy for my tastes which makes it better when Allie and I go on a duo dungeon run. I absently toyed with the bracelet on my arm that we had gotten in the last one. Allie had said it would boost my dexterity even more, making me "even more untouchable than before. Nya~" That really is too cute.

"Hey Neo, where did Allie go?" Pyrrha asked, snapping me out of my thoughts. I looked to my left, where my girlfriend should have been, and saw empty air. When had she? _How_ had she?

'I'll go look for her.' I replied, hopping off the balcony and looking around Sanctuary. It only took me a minute to see the end of the familiar sheath disappear around a corner toward Moxxxie's. I followed it and saw the catgirl jumping onto the roof. Seeing a few ledges, I easily got up there to find...nothing. The roof was empty. I stepped forward to investigate when my foot went _through_ the roof tile in front of me. OW! I landed with a thud and rubbed my ankle.

"Neo?" I heard. I only had to look up to see an astonished Allie. "How did you?"

'Saw you jump onto the roof, got curious.' I replied with a shrug. 'What is this place? Why are you here?'

"Well this is a glitch in Sanctuary I asked them to keep in." Allie explained. Why did she almost sound, tired? "The original glitch was a way to look up Moxxie's skirt and get a panty shot. I just wanted to keep it as a place only I knew about."

'A panty shot area is kind of a weird hideaway.' I pointed out, coming over to sit beside her.

Allie laughed. "True enough, I guess. But do you hear that?" I listened for a few seconds and shook my head. "Exactly. It's so quiet." Allie said wistfully. "Don't get me wrong, I love hanging out with our friends, but they don't know what I do. What happens if I can't stop it. It gets to me sometimes, and I just need some quiet. That's why I wanted this spot."

Wow, I had never seen Allie look so... so vulnerable. But I couldn't say I didn't understand. She knew what happened next. She knew how good or bad her interference would be on the situation. She knew everything that would happen for at least a year or two, and that would weigh heavy on anyone. My ankle didn't hurt anymore, so I stood. 'I'll leave you to your quiet.' I told her with a smile.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to." Allie replied automatically.

I shook my head. 'No, this is your time. I'll be back at the HQ when you're ready to rejoin everyone.' It was sweet how she tried to include me, but this was Allie's time. I wasn't going to interfere with that. I turned and saw a ladder leading back to the roof and began walking forward.

"Ten minutes." I heard from behind me. "I'll only need ten minutes." I look back and nod before heading back to HQ.

When I got back, Ilia was the first to greet me. "Did you find Allie?" she asked.

I nodded. 'She just needs a few minutes to herself. She'll be back before long.' I reply, and we rejoin the party just as Nora calls for a round of Truth or Dare. I have a feeling this is going to become a regular thing.

 _ **And done! Well, what did you guys think? Sorry it's been a bit, life and new animes (for me anyway) to watch. Might do a fic on one after I finish a few other projects, already got a decent idea. So I guess this is the part where I say leave a review telling me what you though, and I'll see you next time!**_


	18. Dungeon Raid Part 1

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I'm hanging with Neo and Ilia in Sanctuary, trying to get to know our faunus teammate. Basically we asked her questions about herself and we answered any questions she had for us. I had to go over the whole "Taken from my world and given the Gamer" thing again, to my slight annoyance. "So what abilities does your Gamer semblance give you?"

"Oh, stuff like Gamer's Body and Gamer's Mind, those are to keep me healthy as long as I have HP and keep things like hallucinations and fear from being basically inflicted on me. I also have Modification, which is what let me have my tail, ears, and eyes." I explain, slitting my eyes for emphasis. "I also have the ability to switch sword fighting styles, but I've been able to do that for a while due to having to live in a...I guess 'bad part' of town would be the best way to put it." Both looked at me in concern. "Come on! Neo, you know I'm a tough kitty. I could handle the occasional mugger. ow as for the other two abilities I have, they're Binding Magic and Danger Sense. The second one is self-explanatory. The first lets me basically keep someone or something still and all I have to do is say something like 'Tiger Tail Trap.' Pretty cool, right?"

"Yeah, pretty cool." Ilia replied. She looked like she wanted to ask me something else.

"You want to know why I intentionally became a faunus?" I asked dryly. She nodded and I went to explain things about my sister, my past in school, etc., and she nodded her understanding. "Well, and this one I've been curious about since Sienna agreed to my plan, do you still have a crush on Blake?" Ilia turned pink, then green and blue. "So yes, but you know she doesn't like you back." I guessed. She nodded. "Well, I'm sure there's someone out there for you."

'I saw a few of the girls looking at her the day of the party.' Neo informed.

I thought it over. Nora and Ren were an inevitability, Juane and Pyrrha were practically inseperable, Ruby had Penny, I was off alone and had Neo either way, so that left Wiess(Yeah, fat chance) and Yang. Or some student that took notice of the two full hunter teams and third almost full one moving toward the headmaster's office. I was about to voice my thoughts when Ilia spoke up. "That can't be. I'm not even all that pretty. Especially not compared to the rest of you."

"Now none of that self-demeaning." I snapped, thoroughly annoyed. "I get enough of that from Juane." Both girls giggled slightly at my joke. "You'll find someone who makes you happy, Ilia. You just need to keep an open mind as to who."

My HUD pinged for a second and I checked the Notification. "Ooh, everyone's gonna want in on this one." I commented.

'What's up?' Neo asked me.

"You ever heard of a Raid event?"

Yang's POV

I was a little surprised when Ruby got the text to bring her team around, as well as JNPR and Penny if she was available. Something about a big dungeon that she would need all of us for. I was pumped for some action, we wouldn't be getting any missions for another couple weeks and there was the dance Weiss and I were planning since Team CFVY was out on mission longer than expected.

Weiss was protesting. "We still have way too much to do to plan the dance!" she argued.

"Come on Weiss! You've been stressing about this too much!" Ruby pleaded back. "You've been even snappier than usual."

"And you've been more annoying than usual, you dolt." Weiss countered dryly.

"Come on Weiss. We've only got a few things to fine-tune anyway, could be good to do something to take our minds off things." I suggested. Eventually she relented and Blake was won over with an argument of "It will be a good chance to practice before we take out the White Fang." and we met with everyone at Sanctuary's HQ. "Hey Allie, what's the big call for?" I asked.

Allie smiled one of those mischievous smiles. "I got a ping for a Raid Event. The payout is pretty good too, 500000 Lien per raid member." THAT got everyone's attention, and the black cat noticed as her smile grew to a grin. "Plus we can divide the drops however we see fit."

"Any idea what the Raid Bosses will be like?" Ruby asked. Huh, looks like she's in leader mode.

"Well the place is called 'The Demon Labyrinth,' so probably something to do with demons of some sort. Got no idea what, since the name spots are blank, but I'm sure we can take em! Nya~" Allie explained. "I don't suppose anyone has Team SSSN's numbers? I haven't officially met them, so I don't and I'd kinda like them along too."

"I'll handle it." Blake offered dryly.

"And Penny's meeting us at the front gates of Beacon." Ruby added.

...

Allie's POV

Well, it was pretty fun meeting the Monkey King (Which I told him, confusing him with the nickname) and his crew. There was a slightly tense moment when Neptune tried to hit on me, resulting in Neo beating him up a bit, but I used some health potions to get him back to top condition and we met with Penny, heading out to the Raid Zone, informing Ozpin of what was happening again. "So, everyone partied up?" I asked the group. Everyone nodded and I smirked. "Alright, here's my plan, feel free to give your two cents at any time. Seeing as how Yang, Nora, Sage, and I are the heaviest hitters we'll be tanking the monsters as they come along. Blake, Ilia, Neo, and Ren are going to be playing the rouge slots. Keep out of sight until you're sure you have an opening. Ruby, Wiess, and Scarlet will be our rearguard covering fire. Hit them from a distance, back up if they get too close. Everyone else, you're our wild cards. Watch our backs, help where you can. Thoughts?"

No one responded, and I got a notification when we came to the ruins in Emerald Forest. You'd be surprised how many there actually are in that forest, I'm not kidding.

 **You have reached the Raid Zone. Enter?**

 **Yes No**

"Showtime people!" I called, pressing the Yes button. The world went white and we appeared in a circular room with just one hallway. Only problem with said hallway is it was full of various kinds of demons, hellhounds, pit fiends, etc. "Give em hell~" I sang, my eyes slitting as I drew Sekiryuki. "Sword Stance: Sesshomaru. Tiger Tail Trap." I called, changing my stance and activating my magic. I still wasn't good enough to get all of them, but the ones I did get were quick to fall due to either Ruby's shots, Weiss turning them into demonic popsicles, and Juane and Pyrrha cutting through the first wave with Yang shooting into the second. Nora swung Magnhild, knocking a bunch of the enemies into the wall and leaving a decent dent in the wall. It only took two minutes to handle the group and the two after about three wrong turns.

Five minutes after that, we came to the first door. It was giant, maybe the size of Beacon, and had a broadsword with a collection of flesh growing at the hilt and handguard area with a yellow eye. depicted on it. Oh shit. "We may have a problem." I informed. "How comfortable do you guys feel fighting Nightmare?" from the ones who understood my question, they grinned and brandished their weapons. The ones who didn't just shrugged. "Alright, let's do this."

The door opened to reveal a room of blue crystal, streams flowing into the area beyond on either side of us. There was a man in purple armor standing with the same sword depicted on the door in one giant hand. "The time is ripe, you shall become a part of me." he said in a gravely voice before turning to face us, pointing his sword at our group and declaring, "You are my first sacrifice!" His name and health bar displayed themselves.

 **Nightmare**

 **The Azure Knight**

"Scatter!" I snapped, changing my grip on Sekiryuki. "Sword Stance: Mitsurugi!" I called, deflecting the demon's attack and leaping back. "I'll keep him distracted, everyone keep your distance. Do _not_ get within striking range of that sword!" I ordered, weaving my way around Nightmare to confuse him. Apparently it wasn't enough as I had to bring my sword up to block another slash, one that nearly sent me over the edge. Holy shit that hurt! And my HP still took a big hit even though I blocked the attack. If he hits me full force I'm fucked.

Neo's POV

I watch Allie get flung and can't help the worry and rage building up in me. Nightmare ran toward my girlfriend, and I couldn't just stand by. Projecting an illusion of myself in front of him to draw his attention, I moved. Nightmare swung at "me" only to have it shatter as I smacked him with my umbrella. "Insolent human! Your soul will be mine!" the demon raged. Oh, how I wish I could respond with something witty. Instead I projected another illusion and got behind him, grinning as he destroyed it and I used the hook on my umbrella to pull his feet out from under him. I then kicked his sword away and deployed my blade, stabbing him over and over before he regained his senses and grabbed me.

I was saved from a slow demise by Ruby catching Nightmare in the eye with one of her shots, causing him to reel back in pain and drop me. I retreated and everyone started taking shots at him while I helped Allie to her feet. 'How are we doing?' I asked.

"He's at about 3/4 of his HP. Wow, he's even stronger than I thought if that's all we did to him." Allie mumbled.

'It's the armor.' I informed. 'It's completely deflecting everyone's shots.' Allie nodded and I could see her brain working.

"What about the joints?" she asked. I smirked, all the answer she needed. "Alright people! Aim for the joints and the eyes. Those are his weak spots at a distance. Yang, Nora, Sun! You guys are the blunt force fighters, that's what will work best against this guy in close quarters. Let's take this guy down!"

Our formations changed. Nora happily leaped at the demon, bringing Magnhild down in what would have been a deadly blow to any normal human. So it dazed Nightmare for a second before Yang started using the battle tactic I believe is known as wailing on him. Punches and kicks flew, the still unarmed demon trying to block the blows as well as possible. Yang switched out with Sun, and it was a combination of close-range shots from his nunchaku pistols and smacks when he combined them into the staff form. Nightmare leaped back, trying to get to his sword only for Weiss to use a gravity glyph to make the weapon impossible to lift. That was when Neo and I started tag-teaming him. I would slash a joint with my sword a few times, back up, and Neo would smack him around before she retreated, the process repeating himself.

He was about to half-health when shit went sideways. "Enough of this!" He bellowed, releasing a wave of pure negative energy that blew the close range fighters back and made the long range members of our group stagger. He picked up his weapon as soon as the wave broke Weiss' concentration and began shifting. Oh shit, he isn't. "I will show you the true Nightmare!" He was enveloped in a black glow.

What the hell. What the hell. What the hell! Nightmare shouldn't be able to do this! But wings grow from his back, he grows to an even more terrifying monster that seemed to be made entirely of bone and wielding an even bigger sword. His name and title changed.

 **Night Terror**

 **Fear Incarnate.**

"Shitshitshitshitshit!" I mutter. "Give him everything you've got! This guy just got five times stronger!" I shouted. I reach for my Key, thinking of the one thing that could save all our asses. "Opening the Vault." I mutter, the glowing portal appearing next to me. I watched the blue crystal blade appear from within and switched my stance. "Face the wrath of the sword you fear most." I called, drawing Soul Calibur(a replica, but I hope it will work the same). "Sword Stance: EMIYA."

Apparently the fear of Soul Calibur was still in Night Terror's mind, because that thing came right at me. I cross-blocked the downward swing, gritting my teeth at the sheer force this monster was pushing down with. Diverting the blade, I managed to flank Night Terror and slice him with both blades. I could feel the blue sword's delight at the pained howl of its hated counterpart. From there I was just dodging and slashing while everyone took a shot where they could.

It took forever, but we got him. Ruby and Ilia actually got the last blow, and it was a move I didn't think I'd see from her. Now that I think for a second, I never actually _saw_ Ruby's attack, but Neo did so I know how it happened. Ruby pulled a Roman and fired a fire dust round, smacking it with her scythe blade to knock it even faster and staggering the demon. Ilia took advantage of the momentary distraction and shot her whip at Night Terror's armor, who blocked with Soul Edge, before activating the electric dust. Anyone know what happens when lightning hits a metal sword? Answer: Killer shock attack.

Everyone collapsed from exhaustion. I scanned over the drops, distributing them around the Raid Group and paused at the final drop.

 **Soul Edge- Type: Demonic Greatsword**

 **Damage:200-300**

 **Special abilities: Soul Reaper(Steals HP and MP from any living thing it cuts and gives it to wielder), Nightmare(Induces Blood Frenzy status and +200 STR and VIT), Soul Drain(Gradually drains HP)**

Well this thing was pretty close to the real deal, although I was curious about the whole "Blood Frenzy" thing. And how the hell had Nightmare turned into Night Terror? Shouldn't that be Zasalamel's thing? Meh, whatever. I opened the Vault and put Soul Edge and Calibur inside, hopefully never to be called again.

We rested for a good twenty minutes before opening the door that had appeared to see two more facing us. Huh, guess we have to choose. I looked over the doors and figured out what was going on. On the left was an image of a mechanical owl crushing a racoon in one giant claw. The other was three triangles in a triangle pattern and one was brighter than the other two. Okay, who designed this freaking dungeon? Neither option was any sort of fair! Figuring I'd let the group decide, I turned to my companions.

 _ **And done! Wow, I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written on my own. Well, what did you guys think? And for the record, Zasalamel is the one who transforms into Night Terror, but that's under VERY specific conditions. Also, yes the whole Raid Dungeon thing was kinda sudden, but I couldn't think of anything good. And can anyone guess the two options for the next boss? I think I made them pretty obvious, but you never know. So, I guess drop a review telling me what you thought, give your guesses for the next boss, and I'll see you next time.**_

 _ **PS: This will probably be a couple three chapters before the group leaves the dungeon and the less mentioned characters will get a bit more spotlight.**_


	19. Dungeon Raid Part 2

_**Wow, literally no one guessed the doors. Well, I guess it's your loss.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

"What's behind the doors?" Blake asked anxiously.

"Well the one on the left is Clockwork." I replied. "That would be our immortal mechanical owl and Russian crime lord. Unless we can ground him long enough to destroy his Hate Chip, he'll just keep repairing himself until he kills us." Everyone looked apprehensively at the first door. "Door number two is the King of Evil, Ganondorf. This guy has an artifact that gives him almost infinite magic power, and a second form that basically turns him into the most OP tank you'll ever meet."

"So a hard fight either way." Sage summarized. I nodded and everyone huddled up.

Neo and Ilia came to flank me as the former asked, 'Who do you think we have a better chance against?'

"Honestly? Probably Ganon. We'd just have to bat his attacks back at him in that mage form and hit him in the tail to kill him in the moblin form. Yang, Juane, and Pyrrha know that, since they've all beaten Ocarina of Time." both girls looked at me in slight surprise. "I know, who would have expected Pyrrha to be a gamer?"

We shared a giggle at that when Ilia spoke up, "What about getting Clockwork grounded? Between me and Blake, we should be able to pull it off."

"Yeah, but there's a good chance if we misstep, we burn in deadly lava." I pointed out. "Trust me, I've thought out pretty much everything, and pretty much everyone in this group has either played or watched someone play Sly Cooper and the Thevious Racoonus. They know what they're getting into either way. Let's see what they decide."

They ended up talking for about a minute before looking at me. "We think Ganon would be the easier boss to fight." Ruby declared.

"Alright then, here's what we'll do." I began.

...

We walked through Ganon's door to see him sitting at his pipe organ like in Ocarina of Time, playing the music that haunted my nightmares for weeks before turning towards us. "It seems I've got visitors." Ganondorf noted. "Well, I suppose I have some time to kill before the Hero appears." the giant instrument vanished as Ganon began flying.

"Scatter! Remember the plan!" I snap. Everyone took off in different directions along the perimeter of the wall. Ganon zeroed in on Juane and threw an energy orb. "Juane, Batter up!" I called.

True to my suspicions, when Juane swung his sword, the attack bounced back at Ganon and thus commenced the deadliest game of ping-pong the poor blonde had probably ever played. Eventually Ganon slipped up and was stunned. "Light him up!" Everyone with a gun on their weapon stopped where they were and opened fire. As soon as the green-skinned gerudo landed on the center platform, I smirked. "Ilia, Neo, let's take him!" I shouted, leaping to the platform and drawing Sekiryuki. "Sword Stance: Swallow Tail!" I called, switching my grip.

Ilia's whip shot out first, electrocuting Ganon and causing him to scream in pain. Neo was next, deploying the blade in her umbrella and cutting his armor and face. Ganon began staggering to his feet again, and Neo switched with me as I attacked and did that extra bit more damage before retreating. Ganon snarled at us before holding both his hands in the air, a giant black and yellow orb forming. "Um, that looks bad." Yang stated.

"No shit, everybody forget attacking! Run the perimeter as if your life depended on it, which it just might!" I ordered frantically. The orb fired in all directions, nicking Weiss in the leg, catching Nora in her left arm, and missing everyone else by millimeters. Then I had a thought. "Okay, I'm an idiot." I realized, holding out one of my hands. "Tiger Tail Trap!" My spell bound Ganon in the air, totally helpless.

Or that was the idea. The gerudo laughed before a surge of dark energy broke my magic. What the hell? That was _supposed_ to bind his magic power as well as his body. "Did you honestly think such a weak magic could hope to contain the power of the goddesses?" he mocked, displaying his Triforce of Power.

Oh he did _not_ just dis my magic! "Kitten Blast!" I snap angrily, my attack flying toward the laughing man. He batted it aside and continued laughing. "Alright, now you're asking for it!" I snarled, **Analyzing** him.

 **Ganondorf(LV:?)**

 **HP:3000/4000**

 **The King of Evil**

 **Attacks: Reflect-able orb, Rain of Destruction**

I really need to advance that skill. It told me literally nothing I didn't already know, I couldn't even get a read on this guy's level. I was about to change my stance when Ren opened fire. Knowing something was up, I watched as Nora leaped toward our enemy and swung Magnhild. Just like when she does it with Tyrian, there was pretty much no effect and the ginger berserker was flung against a wall. Pyrrha rushed to check her with Ren close behind while everyone else focused on keeping his attention.

Penny and Sun were the next to attack, the former swinging her swords on a circle and the latter shooting his pistol nunchakus. These met with similar success. Of course what no one (Myself included) counted on was the effect of Penny being hurt on Ruby. With an angry shout, the red reaper came at Ganon with a barrage of deadly swings that he was helpess to defend against. These attacks effectively took out a whopping 500 points. Seriously, what the hell? I tried **Analyzing** him again, but it only yielded the same results. Ruby continued her assault with the rest of us taking shots where we could for a few more seconds before the gerudo made his next move.

"Enough of this!" Ganon screamed, a blast of dark energy pushing Ruby back to the edge of the room. "I will not tolerate your insolence any longer! Die!" a flash of light and we were standing in the ruins of the castle. Only it wasn't the man anymore. It was that damn giant pig monster. Don't say you never thought of that! " **Now you all will die!"** Ganon threw his trident.

"Sword Stance: Wilt and Blush!" I called, switching my stance and blocking the attack. "Try to get behind him! There's a glowing spot on his tail, hit it for max damage!" I called urgently. Sage was the first to move, bringing that greatsword of his down and making Ganon roar in pain. Neptune took a few shots, stunning the giant long enough for his teammate to back up and Scarlet to get in, slicing with his cutlass. Ganon spun and stabbed with his trident, missing the pirate-huntsman by maybe an inch as he backed up.

"We need to get that thing out of his hands." Ruby declared.

"Affirmative friend Ruby!" Penny's voice rang across the ruins before her swords spun in circles around Ganon's arm. Oh, that was gonna hurt, no matter how tough his skin was. Ganon bellowed and dropped his weapon. Ren instantly moved in, slicing at Ganon's tail with Storm Flower's blades. Guess Nora getting hurt made him a little testy. Oh yeah, I'm gonna have to see that ship sail. Nah, it'll happen without my help anyway.

Ganon began struggling, and Penny was clearly trying to hold her ground with little success. "Tiger Tail Trap!" I snapped, my own spell helping to immobilizing the monster. Ganon struggled, but couldn't break free. Huh, guess his magic resistance went up in smoke with his human physic. Well, whatever worked. Ganon tried to attack with his free hand, but everyone was either shooting or directly behind him and thus out of his reach.

Yeah, he went down pretty fast. I passed out potions and scanned the drops, slightly excited when I saw one of them.

 **Triforce of Power: Type: Artifact.**

 **Equips to: Accessory slot. Can be combined with weapon, but not recommended.**

 **Abilities: +300xLV to STR, DEX, and VIT**

 **One of the three triangles left behind when the goddesses of Hyrule departed from the earth. This represents the goddess of might, Din.**

Huh, wonder if I'll ever get the other two? Nah, better not get my hopes up on that one. I looked at everyone and called, "I'm gonna take a look at the next boss doors. Catch up when you're ready!" Yang and Neo ended up following me as I went to examine the next doors that were, once again, right outside the last boss room. Okay, the first looked like a crest of some sort. Probably a hint. Now what was the matching... oh shit, Britannia. Hendrickson.

Turning to the other door, I noticed a plaque between them. It read _The enemy you evade now will be the one to meet you at the end of the road._ Well shit. So no matter who we took on now we'd have to face the other. The second door had a picture of a human, or at least he looked human. He did have one of those crests above his head. Oh shit, that's the Tartaros emblem. Mard Gear, or maybe all of Zeref's demons. No, whoever designed this dungeon wouldn't be that cruel...right? This was not gonna be fun.

...

I had calculated our chances, but I needed a few extra opinions. Neo had already given her input, saying that it would be smarter to handle Mard Gear first. After filling everyone else in on the stakes, I waited for reactions, equipping my Triforce of Power before I completely forgot. I was level fifty at this point, so hopefully this thing would give me the boost I needed. Plus Sekiryuki still had the blow from Ganon in her blade. Huh, maybe this wouldn't be so hard. No, what am I thinking? This is a raid. It's designed to make people who come in alone die multiple times until they get the message and bring some friends.

Back on track, we put the whole matter to a vote. RWBY, JNPR, Neo, and I voted in favor of Mard Gear. SSSN, Ilia, and Penny voted in favor of taking Hendrickson first.

"So Mard Gear it is." I muttered, glancing at the door warily.

"How long will it be before we face Hendrickson anyway?" Yang asked.

 **Raid Quest: Clear the Demon's Labyrinth**

 **Defeat Raid Boss 1: Nightmare (X)**

 **Defeat Raid Boss 2: Ganondorf (X)**

 **Defeat Raid Boss 3: Mard Gear ()**

 **Defeat Raid Boss 4: ? ()**

 **Defeat Raid Boss 5: Hendrickson ()**

"Looks like we have a boss in between." I informed. Turning toward the door, I asked, "Shall we?" Everyone nodded and we entered the room.

Thankfully, only one person was occupying it, and he was holding a single book as he looked at us in amusement. "Welcome to Tartaros, humans."

"And faunus." Ilia snapped angrily.

"I suppose you wish to challenge me?" Mard continued, ignoring my teammate's outburst. "Very well, I will send you to the afterlife." he declared, standing from the throne he sat on.

"Might wanna put the book down." Yang called, cocking Ember Cecilia.

"I see no reason to, as you are not truly a threat to me." Mard replied, holding out his free hand. "Thorn Curse." He commanded, thorny vines shooting toward us.

We scattered and I **Analyzed** him, not liking what I saw.

 **Mard Geer(LV:55)**

 **HP:6000/6000**

 **The Underworld King**

Well fuck. At least this time I could see his level. "Light him up!" I ordered, everyone with a gun opening fire. Mard waved his hand and a thorn vine blocked each of our shots. "Juane, Pyrrha, Neo, let's get in close and distract him!" I called, making a mad dash for the Etherious. Wonder if I'm gonna have to use my new trick? I hope not, I wanted to save it for Cinder. Anyway, Pyrrha and Juane advanced together, weaving over, under, and around the vines pretty easily while any vines that "struck" Neo just shattered her illusions. I just cut through them with the new monofilament edge I had put on Sekiryuki. "Sword Stance: Wilt and Blush!" I called, changing my stance and getting close, swinging my blade and cutting a path to Mard, but not quite reaching him. "Sword Stance: Sesshomaru!" I snapped, switching again. I'm sure my eyes have slitted again as I charged, slicing through another vine.

"Rose Explosion!" Mard snapped, and I noticed the attack coming just as it blew up in my face. Okay, ow. My Aura took a huge hit there. "Foolish humans. You cannot hope to compare to one of the Demons from the book of Zeref!" the Etherious mocked, his thorns coming for us again.

"Kitten Blast!" I snapped, my own spell blocking the very painful one before I moved. "See how you like this one!" I snapped, holding my hand out again. "Tiger Tail Trap!"

Yeah, that worked about as well as when I used it on Ganon. Maybe I need to upgrade my arsenal. Well, Neo had made it to Mard, doing her thing as she dodged and ducked the Etherious' attacks while throwing in her own. Man, how humiliating is it to get your ass kicked with an umbrella? I have a slight suspicion that's the idea, but still! And Mard was getting annoyed. Every time a thorn would smash into Neo, it broke her illusion and she would appear in another spot, proceeding to beat him up even more.

Hey, speaking of deception fighters, where had Ilia gotten off to? My fully capable girlfriend occupying our enemy's attention, I surveyed the area and found no sign of the chameleon girl. Guess she went camo, wonder where she's. Wait, Neo doesn't have any electric attacks. I smile when I see the tip of Ilia's whip buried in Mard's shoulder as he convulsed. Wow, this version was way weaker than the Fairy Tail version. Neo alone had taken a good 600 points of Mard's aura. That added with the shots Ruby and occasionally Ren got him to half pretty fast.

Then shit went sideways. Like with the last few bosses, he screamed in rage and began changing his form. Seriously, is this gonna be a running theme? Well anyway, Mard changed to his Etherious form and lunged at Neo, who danced out of the way and retreated. I don't blame her. That form makes him even more dangerous. My Ice Cream Scoop was forced to use her semblance to get away from the onslaught.

"Yang, get in there!" I heard Ruby yell as I ran to help my girlfriend.

"Nora, you too!" Juane ordered. Mard was assaulted with shotgun propelled fists and a giant hammer smashing into him from different angles.

Neo appeared at my side. 'His defensive power just spiked, and his speed.' she informed me. 'I don't even want to think of what his punches would have done to me.'

"Neither do I, but there has to be a weakness." I replied, watching two of my craziest friends whittle Mard's health down. Only problem was he was only losing two or three points at a time. This wasn't good. Especially when Ilia tried her sneak attack again, only for Mard to grab the whip and use my teammate as a living wrecking ball, throwing her into Yang and Nora, sending all three skidding backwards. "Alright Neo, Switchblade." I command.

Neo's POV

I was a little hesitant since we hadn't practiced that move very much, but nodded with a confident smirk. While Mard's attention was on our three downed friends, I deployed my umbrella blade and rushed him, cutting him in a few spots that would have left any human or faunus completely out of commission, but seemed to just irritate the Etherious before he swung at "me." The illusion shattered and Allie charged him with her flaming blade.

"Rose Explosion!" Mard snapped.

"Full Counter!" Was the response. The explosion was reflected at Mard before Allie slashed him across the chest with her still flaming blade. "Take this!" she snarled, performing two more cuts before spring-boarding off of him. I moved in and attacked again, dodging the vines and punches thrown at me if only by a hair before switching with Allie again. We proceeded to do this until Ruby and Ren had gotten their teammates and ours out of the way before we both backed off. "We need a plan, and we need it now." Allie muttered from beside me, dodging another vine. It did nick her though, I know because she cursed as she landed.

Then the next one pierced her through her arm. She wasted no time snarling as she cut the vine and pulled the tip out. I watched with slight amazement as the hole in her arm closed. Oh yeah, Gamer's Body. 'U OK?' I asked.

"Fine, it only stung for a second." Allie replied casually. I swear, I have the only girlfriend who can get her arm impaled and shrug it off like nothing. "So, retreat and re-plan?" I nodded and Allie made the call.

Ilia's POV

I heard Allie call to retreat, and made for the door we had come through. Once I made contact, I realized something horrifying. "This thing is locked tight!" I called behind me.

"Um, that's bad." It was Blake's partner, Yang I think, who stated the obvious. What? I'm not all that good with names okay? "Any ideas to take this guy out?"

Juane was the one to speak up. "Mard seems to rely on those vines for his attacks. And he's only good at close range in that Etherious form. Maybe we can trick him into letting it down?"

"Negative." Allie replied. "He could have turned it on at any point, he just chose it as his second form as a 'fuck you' to all of us." Allie replied, sighing. "I wanted to save this for later, but I guess I got no choice." she sighed. "People with range, cover us from here. Sword and Board combos with me. I need a path cut through that thing. Neo, Ilia, Penny, Team SSSN, stay here. I got no idea how big a boom this is gonna make."

That was... unnerving. Guess Allie wanted to try a new trick she had probably bought from that Abyss Auction thing she was browsing every now and again. Juane, Pyrrha, and despite protests, Sage and Penny rushed Mard, cutting the path Allie had requested as the catgirl ran forward, grabbing something from her inven.

Mard was laughing. "Do you human curs honestly think your pathetic magic can compete with my curse power? You are not but cockroaches for me to crush under my boot!"

"Maybe so," Allie replied cheekily, front-flipping over him and shoving what looked like some cylinder onto his back, "But I have a sticky singularity grenade." I saw Blake, Ruby, and Yang's eyes widen as the former two plunged their blades into the ground and the later grabbed onto the scythe's pole. Okay, that was concerning.

"Everybody ground yourselves!" Ruby shouted. Penny ended up fairly well grounded due to the multiple swords. Neptune, Sage, and Scarlet planted their blades into the ground with Sun grabbing onto Sage, and other than Nora, who clung onto Ren, JNPR plunged their own weapons into the ground.

I found out why not two seconds later when I was suddenly pulled off my feet toward Mard. I flung out my whip, desperate for it to get some sort of anchoring. My prayers were answered when I stopped moving, looking up to see Yang wrapping the tip around her sister's weapon.

The pull stopped after a second, and when I looked over, Mard was a smoldering crater. "What the actual fuck was that?" I demanded.

"Hyperion Sticky Singularity. Basically a black hole grenade. Pretty effective, don't you think? Nya~"

"And why did you not use it to start with?" Weiss demanded. I may not like Shnees, but this one had a point.

"Wouldn't have done enough damage, plus I only had the one." Allie replied with a shrug. Okay, my boss's complete indifference to the fact we almost died due to her freaky futuristic grenade was starting to scare me.

"Wait, why is no one questioning the fact Allie had a weapon years if not decades ahead of today's technology on hand?" I asked.

"You get used to it." Was RWBY and JNPR's reply.

"That's not even her most dangerous toy." Yang added after a second. With that cheery thought, Allie and Neo went to inspect the next doors.

Allie POV

'You could've warned me about the singularity.' Neo reprimanded me.

"Yeah, but I wasn't planning on using it yet so I didn't think much on it." I replied, closing my drop screen. I got a Book of Mard Geer good for one use, and I leveled up a couple times with that last fight. I looked at the two doors. The first one had an inscription. 'Beware the Demon who comes when you call their name.' Okay, not good. Not eager to face that brat, I moved to the other door.

Then I heard it. "Wait for me milord!" it was a little girl's voice.

"Nope." I declared, turning back to the first door. "NopeNopeNopeNopeNopeNopeNope."

"What's the problem?" Blake asked, the rest of the group trailing behind her.

"Well, to put it simply," I began, jerking a thumb at the door I had just turned tail from, "Behind that door is a guy I don't think- no, scratch that. I _know_ I can't beat him. Even if I got close enough, he'd just turn me into a rotting corpse with a swing of his sword. And _that's_ assuming he doesn't just take me out with his poison whips that he can shoot from his freaking fingernails."

Everyone looked worried, and I can't say I blame 'em. Only one stupid enough to go against Lord Sesshomaru is Inuyasha, and that's a whole nother ball game.

"So we're going with the first door?" Juane guessed. I nod and turn toward the door I wasn't exactly enthused about going into either.

 _ **And done! Well, what did people think? I know, the grenade thing was kind of a cop-out, but I really wanted to finish this chapter and it's easily the longest single chapter I've ever written! So, who knows who the group is going after? And don't worry, I know a way to make it fun for everyone. Or at least I hope it'll be fun for everyone. Well, leave a review, tell me what you thought, and I'll see you guys next time!**_


	20. Dungeon Raid final part

**_I'll be finishing this up and then getting back to cannon, promise! And for reference, if I'm not clear with attacks in the first fight, just look up_ _Unitale Storyshift Chara戦 DEVILOVANIA(Undertale fangame) in youtube. I'm actually watching it as I type the fight scene._**

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I muttered angrily as we entered the room, again. Chara was proving as annoying as I thought she'd be. Not because of any power difference, simply because none of us reached the SAVE before the little twerp RESET us all. "Let's try this again. Keep an eye out for the _second_ that damn file shows up. If you have a chance, destroy it." I called behind me. Everyone nodded, looking rather irritated with the whole situation as well.

I couldn't blame them, especially when we heard Devilovania. "Again? When will you learn you can't kill me? You'll never be able to stop me from erasing your entire world!" I dodged the first knife and glared at the twerp.

 **Chara Dremmur (LV:20)**

 **Demon of the Underground**

 **HP:99/99**

I almost laughed when I saw Chara's stats the first time. The dungeon designers did a decent job keeping true to her stats, if annoying with her abilities. More white and red knives flew by. That one came really close. Is she changing her pattern? Shit, she probably is. "Bumblebee!" Ruby's voice cut through the air and Yang flew by a second later. Chara dodged, probably hearing the reaper and knowing what came next.

The knives sailed through the air, but I noticed a slightly black aura surrounding them, weighing them down. Guess even magically made metal is still susceptible to our resident Spartan's semblance. We found out something new with each battle it seems. "Nora, hit her!" Juane ordered. The berserker with the giant hammer slammed it into our opponent soon after. The brat dodged and smirked, aiming one of her blasters at Nora and firing, causing the girl's aura to run dangerously low. "Ren, check on Nora! Pyrrha, let's get in there!" both sword-and-board fighters ran into the fray.

Chara wasted no time firing those shooting slashes at the couple, each blocking before continuing to advance. "Tiger Tail Trap!" I called, my spell actually trapping the brat before they could dodge. Pyrrha impaled the brat through the heart, killing them. Their body faded, and everyone began searching the room before the brat had a chance to-

...

I opened the door. Damn it, too slow. That brat is really starting to get annoying. Devilovania began again and we started attacking. Chara smirked as she dodged the first volley of bullets. "Say, have I ever showed you my brother's powers? Like this one!" Chara threw a giant star at us, no fooling. As soon as it made contact with the ground of what I was pretty sure was the judgement hall, it exploded and shot searing balls of light at each of us. Yeah, that took out a good 10% of my aura and I don't know how much of theirs. Then the damn knives came again. White, white, blue bunch, orange bunch, white, red storm. Wow these ones were hard to dodge. Guess it makes sense, they are freaking everywhere.

Yang charged while Chara was focused on me, roaring a battle cry as she pulled her fist back for a punch. Chara, expecting the attack no doubt, slashed at her with the knife in her hand, laughing as the blonde staggered back.

"Yang!" Blake called in worry. Ilia moved. Her whip was a flash in the dark room, nicking Chara before the twerp could completely dodge. She shooting slashed Ilia to get her to back off before a spiral of red knives surrounded her, closing in fast. Ilia looked worried, but the chameleon girl saw an opening after two loud shots.

I looked to see Yang smirking before Chara started knife-storming everyone again. Sun and his crew were doing well, though Sage was a bit big to be dodging all the attacks. Penny got a few nicks, but it wasn't something she couldn't handle. Neo was dodging flawlessly, of course. RWBY and JNPR were out of the line of fire, with Ruby lining up a shot at Chara.

There was a bang and the brat's head kinda got blown off before fading away. This time I saw the SAVE file appearing where Chara had stood a moment ago. I moved, slicing it with Sekiryuki. We waited...and waited...and waited. Then the drops flashed into my view, as well as the XP I got and... oh, guess I leveled up to fifty-four now. Didn't think the brat would be worth that much. "Let's see. Magic of Chara Dremmur, store that away for later. 1000 degree knife. Not my style but it will make a good collectable. Not anything else worth noting. Guess it's Hendie next." I sighed. "This is gonna be so freaking annoying. Alright everyone, gather round and let me tell you what we're up against." I called for everyone.

...

Huh, this was the pit Meliodas left in place of Danafor. Kind of weird choice but whatever. I scanned the pit and sighed. He probably wasn't down there, and I wasn't hiking down there to check. "Dark Nebula." a calm and seriously creepy voice called. I turned and drew on instinct.

"Full Counter!" I screamed. The approaching demonic spell returned to it's sender, creating a huge dust cloud. From within, Hendrickson appeared in that damn Ash Gray form. "This just got a whole lot harder." I muttered, **Analyzing** him.

 **Ash Gray Hendrickson (LV: 56)**

 **Demonic Holy Knight**

 **HP: 5700/5800**

 **Attacks: Dark Snow, Dark Nebula, Dead End**

 **Stats: Unknown**

Damn it. "Give it everything you've got! He's got 5700 HP so don't let up for an instant!" I shouted behind me. "Sword Stance: Swallow Tail!" I snapped, swinging Sekiryuki at the demonic knight's head. He casually lifted his arm and my blade bounced right off. Okay, that's bad. It only took off 1 HP, and this is my primary weapon! Hendrickson punches me in the gut, knocking the wind out of me and sending me flying into a worried Neo. "I...I'm okay." I wheezed. My aura was freaking cut in half from that one punch. can't make any mistakes here or we're all toast. Had to think. Maybe if I can-? Yeah, that should work. I may be out of Singularities, but I do have something that could work. "Neo, I need him to start talking." She nodded and dashed into the fight.

"You pitiful fools." He sighed, "How have you not realized that there's no way you can-hhhrk!" Hendrickson found it hard to talk with a prototype grenade I've been working on.

"Back up! Back up!Back up!Back up!Back up!" I ordered, wanting to get some distance between us when that thing blew. And boy was I disappointed. I heard the boom and Hendrickson's mouth started smoking, but he didn't blow up like I wanted! I **Analyzed** him and sighed.

 **HP:2500/5800**

Not as much as I hoped, but better than I expected. Guess I still have a few things to work on with that firework grenade. "Crap, and that really was my last one. What will it take to beat this guy?"

Hendrickson didn't laugh as he heard my question, he just looked bored overall. "You can do nothing to kill me. I'll admit that last one surprised me. Perhaps this world is worth looking into for our resurrection." he declared lazily. He lifted his hands and millions of black dots appeared. "Dark Snow."

Oh crap. "Don't let them touch you!" I screamed, thinking of something to dodge the attack. Damn, things were everywhere. Everywhere. "Cat Party Blaster!" I commanded, sending thousands of tails to destroy the specks of death magic. A few even hit Hendrickson and took his HP down another 500 points. Wait, magic works better on him than physical attacks? What's that about? Meh, don't look a gift horse in the mouth. "Kitten Blast!" I commanded. Another 200. "Weiss! Hit him with every glyph you got!" I ordered. Weiss huffed, but did as she was told while everyone else was harassing the demon. Hell, even the blueberry head(Neptune) was getting in some decent shots. They were still only taking single points off his HP bar, but hey a thousand 1 point hits is still 1000 HP gone. Plus with Weiss being guarded by Ilia and Yang and Neo standing close by me neither of us had much to fear at being attacked.

We had actually gotten him to 100 HP when he helicopter kicked everyone away from him and turned his attention to Weiss. "I'll deal with you first." he declared, conjuring the Dark Snow specks again. That can't be good. Oh shit, he's condensing them, that can only mean, "Dead End." Crap on a Cracker. I ran as fast as my legs would carry me. I could reflect it and end this, but if I didn't then two members of RWBY and my own new teammate would die. But as fast as I was, apparently Neo was faster. Or maybe she had gotten a head start, you really can't tell with that girl. Anyway Neo got there first and opened her umbrella with a smirk. To my utter surprise, the attack dissipated.

"Seriously, what the fuck is that thing made of?" Yang demanded. I couldn't say I wasn't wondering myself.

"But how?" Hendrickson demanded, showing the most emotion he had the entire fight. He never got an answer as Weiss apparently didn't like the fact this guy had tried to kill her. An ice glyph appeared beneath his feet and he was immediately frozen, taking out his last bit of health. I read over the drops, but it was just some dust, some demon blood I could experiment with later, and a few trinkets. I smiled as a notice flashed in my vison

 **Raid Complete!**

 **XP Earned:20000  
**

 **Level up! Level Up! Level Up!**

 **Items: Skill Book: Demonic Construction, Skill Book: Demon Puppetry, 3000000000 Lien per participant.**

Apparently everyone's Scrolls were connected to my HUD or they just got a bank notification or something, but everyone was gaping at the sheer amount of money that had just appeared in their accounts. I smiled, turning to everyone. "Congrats everyone! We just beat a Raid Dungeon! Nya~" I declared.

 _ **And done! Sorry everyone, I've been neglecting all my other stories and I've been working on those recently. Anyway, sorry for the rushed ending, but I did want to finish this so we could get back on track. Coming up, the dance! Unfortunately since Juane and Pyrrha are "Together together" there will be no blonde moron in a pink dress, but the iconic JNPR dance will still happen. I repeat! The iconic JNPR dance will still happen! Well, leave a review telling me what you thought, and see you all next time!**_


	21. Night to remember Part 1: The Dance

_**The time has come, let the shipping and all the awkwardness that comes with commence! Muahahahaha! Yeah, that was pathetic even for me. Oh! And we're starting with a new POV, Yang's!**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I watch in not-so-silent mirth as my baby sister struggles to stand in her high heels. She almost fell again when Neo appeared, catching her. "Thanks." Ruby said with a smile which turned sour when she demanded, "How the hell do you and Weiss fight in these things?"

'Lot's of practice.' was Neo's reply. I could only see because I was close enough to catch Ruby myself. Damn that girl was fast. And she looked hot. Neo had found a swirling pink-white-brown one-strap dress that almost matched her hair. The skirt was just slim enough to show off the girls curves while still giving her full movement should something happen and she gets into a fight. Typical Neo, fashionable and functional. I think she and Coco Adel would get along pretty well.

"So Neo, got any plans after the dance? Maybe to get lucky?" I asked teasingly, laughing as Neo's face turned red and her hands started waving frantically. "Cool it, I'm just messing with you!" I said after a second. I was answered by a pillow to my face.

'What Allie and I do in our rooms is no business of yours.' Neo declared, her scroll pretty close to my face to illustrate her point. Well, I guess that was a bit far for the smug little midget.

"Well anyway, I should probably get going. I'm supposed to greet everyone as they come in after all." I called before slipping out the door.

Ilia's POV

Have to admit, Nora is a fun person to be around. "So, did anyone ask you to the dance? Maybe a crush? Someone handsome?" the ginger questioned me.

"No one, no, and I'm not into guys." I replied sheepishly.

"Oh." Nora muttered. I was worried for a second before she resumed her hyper questioning. Guess that didn't really bug her.

"Nora, let Ilia get dressed please." Ren called from the bathroom. Since there were more of us, We girls were changing in the main room of the JNPR dorm while Juane and Ren changed in the bathroom. I looked over my ballgown, making sure there were no wrinkles. Oh, I'm so nervous. I haven't been to a dance since Atlas and that was the day before I found out about... the day I found out. I smiled as I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked...pretty. I heard a wolf-whistle from Nora and rolled my eyes.

Allie's POV

I searched my closet for my dress. Where was it? I know I had it in here somewhere! Hell, I remember seeing it during my and Neo's first date. I smile at the thought of dancing with her tonight, but that won't work if I don't find my freaking dress! No. No. That's not for public viewing. That should be in the box under my bed! Aha~! Victory for the Gamer! Now I just have to get it on... yeah, I'm gonna need a hand. "Blake! Your assistance is requested! Nya~" my fellow black cat appeared and zipped up the back. "Thanks."

"No problem." she replied with a small smile. We started chatting about the new books we had been reading as we left for the dance.

...

I waited outside for Neo, smiling and returning small greetings as students passed me. Man, they were taking forever. Seriously, Neo can go from nude to fully clothed faster than Gray Fullbuster strips. No we haven't done it yet perverts! I just had a few awkward moments where I walked in on her getting out of the shower. Anyway I noticed Penny coming up with a couple Atlas guards. The android smiled and waved at me, a gesture I returned before calling, "Ruby's waiting for you inside, and she looks really cute." Huh, guess robots can blush. Still wondering where-HOLY SHIT SHE'S HOT! Sorry. As you can probably guess, Neo just appeared. No literally, she used her semblance to sneak up on me and appear just a few feet from me. "Can you not do that? You nearly scared me out of this thing." I whined.

Pulling her scroll from a pocket I didn't notice until then, she replied, ' _Who's to say that wasn't the idea?'_

I rolled my eyes as I turned and offered my arm. Neo wrapped both of hers against it and smiled as we walked in and greeted Yang before making for the punch bowl. Hydrate then dance.

Penny's POV

I glanced to my left and right to see General Ironwood's guards and resisted the urge to sigh. I would have to come up with something to evade these two so I could find Girlfriend Ruby and maybe have some fun. I scrolled through my functions and programs, looking for some stealth ability before noticing a flash of red. Dismissing the screens, I saw Friend Allie had not been lying. Girlfriend Ruby approached and she looked incredibly cute in her dress. I also noticed she was stumbling a small amount and muttering something about "Stupid lady stilts." I would have to question her later.

Smiling, I moved from next to the guards, who I noticed followed me, and toward my girlfriend. "Salutations Girlfriend Ruby! You are looking cute tonight!" I greeted.

Girlfriend Ruby looked up from her shoes and smiled. I had to catch her as she stumbled and fell. "Thanks Penny." she said with a sheepish smile and a small blush. I helped her steady herself and she smiled more happily. "You look great too! Did you pick out the dress yourself?"

I nodded with my ever-present smile and looked to the guards. "If you would please give us some room." I requested. Both looked at each other before taking two steps back. I supposed that was the best I was going to get. Just as I turned toward Girlfriend Ruby once again, the music changed to a slow song. "Would you...care to dance?" I asked nervously, holding my hand out.

Girlfriend Ruby blushed before nodding. "Sorry if I end up falling on my butt." she muttered before we started dancing.

Neo's POV

I don't think I've been this happy in a long time. Slow dancing with a beautiful woman who, for reasons only she knew, returned the feelings of a psycho criminal. I smiled as I put my head on Allie's shoulder and she held me close. "Hey, mind if I run something by you?" I heard. I nodded against her. "Okay, but we need somewhere more private. I'm not technically supposed to know about this." So something related to Salem and Cinder. Allie always did make a point of discretion when talking about our war with this immortal grimm queen. You know, a couple months ago I wouldn't have even believed something like that existed. The slow dance ended and a rather upbeat song started playing.

I looked up to see Allie's eyes brighten as she started looking for something. "After this, I promise." she declared before finding what she was looking for. Team JNPR was on the dance floor.

 _Cause Baby!_

 _It's time to make up your mind!  
_

 _I think,_

 _That tonight is when our stars align!_

 _Honey!_

 _It's time to leave the doubt behind!_

 _Take my hand cause you and I are gonna shine!_

Wow, those guys could dance. And in such perfect harmony too. I mean, kick-step kick-step body roll isn't exactly rocket science but still. Allie pulled me outside and checked to make sure we were alone before looking me in the eyes. Huh, her eyes were slitted, guess this is serious. "I might have an idea about our fourth teammate, but I needed a second opinion and you're the only one I've told the whole story with the Maidens to you." she began. I tilted my head to the side, curious at what she was suggesting. "Well, we both know where both halves of Amber's power are. Not much we can do about her. Winter and Summer weren't confirmed before I came here, but I may have a lead on Spring." So she told me her plan. About the bandit camp in Mistral, the Spring Maiden located there, and what may happen if we don't get there. "Well?"

' _Well, you know I don't really care if someone I don't even know dies.'_ I stated. Allie sighed but nodded. I swear, that girl's too kind sometimes. ' _And we can't exactly just go to Ozpin with this. He'd want to know how you even know about the Maidens.'_ Another nod. ' _The biggest problem is whether or not Spring is still alive or if Raven's already killed her. If she's dead, this whole plan is for nothing.'_

"But if we did get there in time, we could get a valuable ally against Salem. Not to mention we could avoid the whole Haven fiasco and skip straight to Atlas." Allie argued. I had to admit, it was risky but the reward wasn't exactly minimal compared to it.

' _How do you intend to pull this off? You can't exactly cut class to go on a wild goose chase.'_

"I heard about a huntress-in-training who might be a relative of yours or Ilia's that had vanished in Mistral around a notorious bandit clan's territory and I'm concerned about them as a team leader looking out for the emotional well-being of my team. Sounds believable, don't you think?" Wow, she had really thought that one through.

' _We'll say it's mine. I don't really know a lot about my family from before Roman so it'll be more believable that way.'_ I decided. Allie's eyes were asking a question and I sighed as I replied, ' _Yeah, I'll help on your wild goose chase. But I reserve the right to complain if this ends up being all for naught.'_

"Deal! Nya~" Allie chirped, cat-pawing her hands and smiling. I smiled at my girlfriend's antics before noticing something moving across the rooftops. Pointing it out to Allie, she hissed out a single name. "Cinder." our weapons appeared in her hands and she passed me mine. "Feel like a little outing?"

"Not without me boss." We both whipped around to see Ilia standing behind us in a brown dress not unlike Yang's and her whip in one hand.

"How long have you been standing there?" Allie asked nervously.

"I was here first." the chameleon replied. We both gulped as Ilia stepped forward. "I'll ask my questions later. For now let's just see about catching whoever it is running along the roof." The three of us vanished into the night.

 _ **And done! For the record, there is a reason I'm suggesting Spring as the fourth member, something I don't think many people have considered. I'll get to it more after we get to team missions. Anyway, leave a review telling me what you thought, and I'll see you all next time!**_

 _ **PS, anyone notice the little joke I threw in?**_

 _ **PPS, How did I do with Penny's POV? Believable? I was kinda nervous about that one.**_


	22. Night to remember Part 2: Secret's Out

_**Well, I'm back! Time for Allie's group to take on Cinder.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

We leaped across the rooftops silently. I ran over what I knew about Cinder from the show. Flames aplenty due to her stolen Maiden powers, that dual blade bow, her ability to manifest those glass shards and throw them at us, gonna have to watch out for that one. Hopefully she'll try to keep from going all-out for secrecy's sake. We can catch her if she does. Anyway, we arrived at the CCT Tower to see that most of the guards had been handled. They were alive, thank Gods, but they were pretty messed up. "Tight formation, she'll be headed for the terminals." I ordered. Neo and Ilia nodded as we walked in, none of us noticing that we had been seen.

…

Wow, Cinder really did a number on these guys. As we entered the elevator, I was glad to see everyone was just knocked out. The thing moved pretty fast, cause just as the thought crossed my mind we were in the terminal room. "Flank her. I'll draw her attention." I ordered, drawing Sekiryuki. My eyes slitted and I smirked evilly. "Eliminate!" I shouted, dashing for Cinder. She turned, saw me, and backflipped out of the way. Well, I got her attention. "Sword Stance: Swallow Tail." I muttered, changing my grip. "You gonna come quietly or are we gonna have a showdown, possibly damaging your precious virus."

"How did you?" Cinder demanded, pointing her bow at me. That was about when Neo cut in, nailing the false maiden in the head with a flying kick. Ilia moved in next, her whip a yellow flash against the dark room. I couldn't even see her, she must be camouflaging. "Hardly a fair fight. Is this how huntresses behave now?" Cinder mocked.

"Only against people we know are too dangerous to take one-on-one. This is where you fall, bitch!" I dashed forward, taking my familiar stance. "Turning Swallow Strike!" I swung my blade in the three simultaneous arcs.

And was blocked by a crimson ring blade. I backed off to get a look at the party crasher. He was dressed entirely in red with the exception of his mask, which was a storm gray chibouk mask. I genuinely had no idea who this guy was, but instinct told me to be careful. "Stand down, little girl. You can't defeat me." Well, with that deep a voice, he was definitely a he.

"Oh, I'm sure I can. Tiger Tail Trap!" I snapped, my spell taking effect instantly. The tails reached for Cinder and the new guy, but bounced off some sort of barrier. "What the?" I gasped, having to jump back as he came after me. He slashed in a way that seemed familiar to me, but I couldn't place it. I managed to deflect two of the slashes, but the third managed to catch me in the stomach.

That was when the sword swarm and sniper shot slammed into him. I took advantage of the distraction and smacked one of the swords out of his hand before smacking him in the face with the butt of Sekiryuki. "Ruby, Penny, why are you two here?" I asked without turning around.

"We saw you guys chasing someone and thought you could use some backup." Ruby's voice answered me.

"Not to worry, we're both combat ready." Penny assured me.

"Just don't let them escape." I ordered dryly. "Sword Stance: Arturia." I muttered, switching my grip.

"The original Saber Servant, huh?" the man chuckled. "I'm partial to EMIYA's style myself." Huh, I honestly never liked that red-coated douche bag myself but I guess his fighting style is rather impressi- wait how the hell did he know that? The Fate series doesn't exist here the only way he could know is if...Crap on a cracker! That's where I recognized that style from!

"He's a Gamer!" I warned, unclipping my sheathe and switching to Gilded Thorn Stance. I was gonna need it.

"Got it in one, well done little kitten." the man mocked. "You may call me Crimson Mist."

"Well, guess it's only polite, my name's Allison N Rouge. You _don't_ have permission to call me Allie." I replied, charging the now IDed Crimson Mist. "Switchblade!" Neo appeared behind me as I engaged Crimson, who had grabbed his dropped sword somewhere along the line, slashing and bashing before switching with Neo, who basically spent her time trying to get passed his guard. She managed to pop him in the nose like I did earlier before we switched again. Even still, we haven't managed to score more than three hits each on him.

Ilia's POV

Allie and Neo were struggling, but I couldn't help them. Cinder was keeping us occupied, having deconstructed her bow and swinging at us with her dual longswords. I blocked another of the woman's attacks, but I noticed a rather unsettling crack in my whip. I tried lashing out, trying to shock her but she deflected each attack and still had time to dance out of Ruby's line of fire and Penny's whirlwind of swords. I'm not gonna lie, we were struggling. I don't know where she trained, but Cinder was tough. I was stuck fending off her attacks until, to my utter horror, she swung and destroyed my weapon.

"Atlas Military! Everyone freeze!" I heard. I've never been so relieved to hear that order. I leaped back and smirked, but Cinder and her pal threw us all for a loop.

"Manta!" Crimson shouted just before the pair dove out the window. Everyone scrambled to the window, expecting to see two stains on the pavement. What greeted us was the sight of the pair escaping on, I kid you not, giant flying manta rays.

"So he has access to Lyoko monsters, huh?" I heard Allie mutter next to me. "This just got a whole lot more complicated."

"And how is that, Ms. Rouge?" I inwardly groaned as everyone turned to see General Ironwood.

"Not here." was Allie's response. "I need to meet with Ozpin. Tonight."

Allie's POV

Damn it, Damn it, Damn it, Damn it, Damn it, Damn it, Damn it! How did I not think there would be another Gamer? His sword style was a definite mix of Kirito's and EMIYA's, and his strength wasn't in any way human. Not to mention that anti-magic barrier he threw up. Not only that, Neo and I couldn't beat him! That tears it, I need to complete my team, and I need to get stronger. The elevator dinged and we all entered Ozpin's office. Ruby and the others gave their reports, adding that Cinder had mentioned something about a base before leaving me and Neo with the adults. "Things have gone pear-shaped big time." I hissed.

"While I do admit that two individuals breaking into the CCT Tower is concerning, I don't think you need to worry about it Miss Rouge." Ozpin replied.

"We both know it wasn't just 'two individuals' Oz. They were Salem's minions and one of them was like me." I snapped. Everyone looked at me in shock. "Yeah, I know all about Salem, the Maidens, and the Artifacts in case you were wondering about those too. I also know one is thousands of feet beneath our feet with half her power stolen by the woman from the tower."

"And how do you know about all this?" Glynda demanded. So I told them. About my old world, about the RWBY series, and about what would happen if the new threat went unchecked. "I find this rather hard to believe." the blonde woman stated.

"Lying would be counter-productive at this point." I replied, shooting a glare at Ozpin. "I need to know about the Spring Maiden. I know she runs off, but I don't know when."

"I'm afraid I can't tell you that, Ms. Rouge." Ozpin replied evenly.

"Have you heard a word I said?" I demanded angrily. "We need all the allies we can get! Or are you so afraid of what I know that you think I might reveal your history Ozma?" Wow, never thought I'd see Oz flinch. I felt Neo's hand on my shoulder and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for." I said more calmly. "But I do need to know if Spring has run yet. If I can get to her before Raven kills her and steals her powers, we can get the story of why she ran straight from her."

"I'm sorry, but my answer remains the same." Ozpin replied.

I bit back my anger and turned. "Fine. If you won't tell me I'll figure it out myself. Missions are coming up, I'm sure there will be something I can use. Now I have to inform Ilia of my plans." With the last biting remark, Neo and I left. I was pissed, no doubt about it, but I hope Ilia would be a bit more willing to listen.

 _ **And done. Well, Allie's secret is out and a new Gamer is in play. How will this affect things? Will Allie be able to find Spring before Raven makes her move? Did I do okay on the battle? Leave a review with your thoughts, and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	23. Ilia's new Fang

_**Starting with Neo's POV today.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I sighed as I walked around Sanctuary. Allie had locked herself in the shop, saying something about Ilia needing a new weapon. Well, Cinder did break her old one, but I was pretty sure she was doing it as an excuse to deal with stress from Ozpin's stubborness. Seriously, we already knew about the Maidens so what was the harm in telling us Spring's status? I sighed as I looked for someone to hang with. RWBY was in the Vault honing their skills in the first couple rings, JNPR was on a double date, I could probably hang with Ilia... no, she was at a White Fang meeting. Maybe Roman was around? Checking all his usual haunts, I found him going through files in HQ.

Of course, once I entered Roman happened to look up. "Oh hey Neo." he smiled, "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

 _'Allie's locked herself in the shop and I'm bored. What are you_ _doing?'_ I asked, gesturing to the files.

"Oh, Allie wanted me to look over some classified documents she had 'stumbled across' after your meeting with old Oz." Roman explained, smiling at me as he leaned against the holo-table. "I tell ya Neo, that girl could have been a great criminal. She's got the skills, the drive, the blatant disrespect for authority. You sure she won't join our side of things?"

I rolled my eyes. We had had this conversation a half-million times and Allie maintained she would be hunting Grimm, not people's livelihoods. Her words, not mine. ' _You find anything worth mentioning?'_ I asked.

"Nothing yet. There aren't exactly a lot of students who just up and ran. Of course, if the kitten's little conspiracy theory turns out to be right, it could have been covered up." Roman looked at me and smiled. "Care to help me look?" I smirked as I took half the files my first friend had stacked in front of him.

Ilia's POV

As the meeting concluded, I took off my mask and checked to make sure I was alone. "I open the path to Sanctuary." I whispered, the portal forming in front of me. I stepped through, finding myself at the front gate to Allie's home base. My stomach turned and I stumbled. "I'm never gonna get used to that." I groaned, the sickness passing quickly enough. I started for HQ, curious if Allie had finished that "New, even better than before" weapon. I was cautiously excited to see what my team leader had come up with.

On my way, I ran into Team RWBY coming out of Marcus Munitions. Guess they went for some training. "So how far did you guys go this time?" I asked teasingly.

"What was Allie thinking?" Wiess muttered, "Putting those flying machines into a school arena like that."

"You went to the IS Academy?" I asked in surprise. The fourth ring was supposed to be for level sixty to seventy players. Even Allie doesn't go there on hostile mode yet.

"Yeah, it was my idea." Yang admitted sheepishly. Huh, never saw her look embarrassed before. "That Gospel thing was seriously fast too. Even Ruby couldn't get a shot." she added.

"You took on the Silver Gospel?" When had we gotten inside HQ? And what were Roman and Neo looking at? Meh, ask about that later. Roman was looking at RWBY like they had just made the stupidest move ever. "How are you four still alive?"

"Allie let us borrow some potions." Ruby replied, sitting on one of the couches. "Should've brought some of her sticky grenades. We could've beaten it then."

"I doubt that." Allie sighed, appearing with a broadsword in her hand and making everyone jump. "I still haven't figured out the corrosive tech for grenades, and nothing else on that thing would work well."

"Is that supposed to be my new weapon?" I asked.

Allie's face perked up. "Yep! Here you go!" she chirped, handing me the sword. Well, it was light despite the rather bulky look. "You feel that button just above your thumb?" she asked. I moved my thumb and nodded, feeling the button. "Push it."

Doing as instructed, the sword shifted to a segmented whip. "It's Ivy's snake blade." I guessed.

"It was the inspiration, yes." Allie admitted. "There's a compartment in the hilt to put your dust in, like in my Sekiryuki." she continued explaining as I pressed the button again, this time making the whip shift back to a sword. "And I thought you should be the one to name it, if you wanted to."

I thought for a second. My whip never did have a name, but I felt like doing something different this time. "Rainbow Fang." I decided. Allie handed me a sheath for my newly named weapon. "Hey Yang, mind helping me test it?" I asked, turning to the buxom blonde. What? She was a good fighter.

"OOH! Try the new Holo-Dome I just added yesterday! It's connected to that Fast-Travel terminal in the square!" Allie suggested. When did she have the time to build that with all her classes and planning Salem's downfall? Maybe it's a Gamer thing? Either way, we all made for the Fast-Travel terminal and inputed the codes for the Holo-Dome and saw a flash of light.

...

Well that went well. Sure I ended up losing, but I put up one hell of a fight and I think I've got a feel for Rainbow Fang. Everyone crowded around me, congratulating me on a well fought battle, and in some cases (cough cough, Ruby, cough) gushing over how cool my weapon was. I heard Roman's scroll blip and everyone looked to the crime lord. "Hey boss, we got a hit." he informed.

Allie's eyes slitted. "How long ago?" she demanded.

"A couple weeks. No way has she been offed yet." Roman replied. Allie nodded and motioned for me and Neo. "Looks like you kids are goin on an adventure."

"Where are you guys headed?" Blake asked, her ears twitching under her bow.

"A bandit camp that might be housing a runaway huntress-in-training." Allie replied, checking something on her scroll. "Alright, I've got a location. We'll be in and out in twenty minutes tops. Let's move out." The three of us made for the Fast-Travel, each hoping Roman was right.

 _ **And done! Yeah, I'm gonna do something a little different than my original plan with Spring. Anyway, what did you think of Ilia's new Rainbow Fang? And yes I'm a jackass for not writing the fight between the chameleon and the dragon, but I wanted things to get moving. So I guess leave a review telling me what you thought and see you guys next time!**_


	24. Spring comes to Beacon

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Raven's POV

The day had gone like any other. Some patrols were out to scout possible targets and ward away intruders, and I was about to try to train that damn Spring Maiden that had appeared on our doorstep a few weeks prior. If she couldn't get stronger, I have a pretty good idea of what will happen to her.

"Hello Miss Raven Branwen." And then some cat faunus appeared in front of me flanked by two other girls. At a glance I could tell they were at least huntresses-in-training. "You have someone I want." The cat continued, a gigawatt smile on her face. "So where's the Spring Maiden? Nya~" What the? No, not the time to be weirded out.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." I replied. "I'm afraid what you're looking for is nothing more than a myth."

"That's a lie and we both know it." the cat snapped, her eyes slitting for a second before going back to normal. "But where are my manners? I'm Allison N Rouge, but you can call me Allie if that's easier for you. Nya~" Allie's companions rolled their eyes at her introduction. Guess they were used to it. "The lovely lady on my right, holding the umbrella, is Neo Politan. The cutie pie on my left would be White Fang member Ilia Amitola. We're all working to bring down Salem and we think Spring could be rather helpful."

My hand went to my sword at the mention of _that_ woman. Were they her agents? Or Ozpin's? "You can't beat someone like her. Not even with a Maiden's Powers." I snapped.

"Why? Because she can't be killed?" Allie asked me, tilting her head slightly, her ears twitching. I nodded and she just smirked. "Unkillable and Unbeatable are two _very_ different things Raven. But instead of giving us trouble, think about this. What will Salem do when she finds out you have the key to one of the relics?" I paled. How much did this girl know? "Cause if it were me, I'd send my agents to get that key so I could get my hands on my true goal, killing anything in my way. Do you really want to do that?"

"What are you proposing?" I demanded.

"Give me Spring, and you won't have to hear from me again. Salem will have no reason to bug you, nor will Ozpin, so I'd say it's a pretty good deal."

Allie's POV

Well she hadn't drawn yet, that was good. But, she could turn violent if I'm not careful. Meh, I could take her. I had already **Analyzed** her and while her STR was higher than mine, I was faster and, more importantly, smarter. Plus I could just hold her down with my Binding Magic if things came to that. Raven's hand left her sword, and she nodded. "I suppose you have a point. Not like she was being useful here anyway." she decided.

Raven led us to a tent near hers. Lifting the flap, the four of us entered to see a girl about my age with dark green clothes, tan skin, and similarly dark green hair with some bright green highlights. "Tara, you have some visitors from Beacon." Raven informed the girl, Tara I guess.

I smiled, did my intro, got eye rolls from Neo and Ilia, and waited for her. "My name is Tara Malachite. It's a pleasure, but I don't know why Beacon students would be looking for me." Tara introduced.

"Well, we're here because there's an open spot on my team and I can't think of a better candidate than the Spring Maiden herself." Tara's eyes widened and her eyes shifted to a spear on the bed next to her. "Please don't. If I wanted to hurt you, trust me. You'd be hurt." Tara still dove for the spear. "Black Panther Grapple." I called, my spell grabbing the weapon before Tara could. Both she and Raven looked at me in astonishment. I ignored them in favor of examining the spear. "Multi-Dust chamber below the blade, allowing you to cycle elements. Mecha shift to what I can guess is a shotgun. Not a bad weapon. I like the forest camo coloring." I admitted. "It have a name?"

"Silico Shot." Tara replied cautiously.

I shrugged, handing the spear to the still startled Maiden. "Now Tara, I need to ask why you split from Haven. So, what's the story? I doubt it was something like you cracked under the responsibility."

"That's a load of crap! Lionheart was going to give me over to Salem to save his own ass! He's nothing but a treacherous coward!" Tara snarled. I hate it when I'm right sometimes. "So, you're planning on taking me to Beacon? Not Haven?"

"That's the plan! Nya~" I chirped, pulling a Key from my inventory. What? I made a lot of Keys. Handing it over to the Maiden, I turned to Raven. "This is probably the last you'll see of us, so bye!" I said happily. "I open the Path to Sanctuary." the portal formed, and with a little coaxing from Ilia, we all stepped through. Next stop, Ozpin.

...

"What is the meaning of this?" Ironwood demanded. Great, what was he doing here?

"I want Tara Malachite on my team. What's the part you're not understanding?" I asked dryly. "We sure as hell can't send her back to Haven, it's a death sentence. And here she has your _wonderful_ guardianship with all those droids running around." Yeah, even if it wasn't technically his fault I still had no issue blaming him for Beacon's fall in the series.

"Miss Rouge, how exactly did you even find Miss Malachite?" Ozpin asked, eyeing me critically.

"I asked Neo's dad for a little help looking for a missing huntress. He's well connected and got me the info I needed just a little after you denied me that same info. I then went to the Branwen camp, convinced Raven it was in her best interest to hand Tara over to me instead of keeping her there, and here we are." I explained. "Look, can we quit going around in circles? I brought the Spring Maiden to Beacon because if I hadn't, problems would have arisen further down the line. What's the harm in keeping her here as part of my team?"

I waited for a response, but none came. "Well? If no one can come up with a good reason then I suggest Ozpin gets on with the naming."

Another minute passed in silence before Ozpin stood. "Very well then. Allison N Rouge, Neo Politan, Tara Malachite, Ilia Amitola, the four of you have been brought together under Beacon's roof. From henceforth you shall be known as Team ANTI, lead by Allison N Rouge."

I smiled. "Now then, shall we discuss the issue concerning the _other_ Maiden at this school?" I asked. What followed was a heated debate about what should happen, mostly between me and Ironwood.

...

Two hours later, RWBY, JNPR, Penny, and my own Team ANTI were in Sanctuary throwing the welcome party for Tara that doubled as our Team Creation Celebration. "Hey guys, guess what time it is." Roman called, coming in holding a bottle of water that he had just finished off. Oh boy.

 _ **And done! Next time is up for suggestion. Shall I do another Truth or Dare? Maybe a Beach episode? Or should I go to missions? Just a warning, Team ANTI (said like it's spelled in case you were wondering) isn't going to be going with RWBY to Mountain Glenn. Keep that in mind when you leave a review telling me which one you think I should do next and of course what you thought of the chapter. Until next time!**_


	25. Chosing Missions

_**Well, here we go. Sorry all, I tried another truth-or-dare chapter, but that was just a train-wreck. I'm thinking of making a deleted scenes fic to go with this, so I guess I may try again there, but for now. Also let me go on record I have NOT played Grimm Eclipse. This will make sense in the chapter.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

That was brutal. Who knew Tara could be so perverted with her dares? Seriously, she had Nora sitting nude! Ren was trying very hard not to look. And don't even get me started on Roman! And I still need to talk with Neo about that thing she pulled with CRDL. Anyway, it was the day of the mission selection and I was rather eager to get a good one. I mostly tuned out Ozpin's speech, having heard it a million times already, before zipping off to Search and Destroy. "What have you found?" Tara asked, coming up behind me with Neo.

I puffed my cheeks in annoyance. "Barely anything fun!" I complained, "Seriously, the most interesting thing here is a trip to Mountain Glenn, but Team RWBY is going to be handling that. I want something fun and challenging."

' _Makes sense. If it weren't difficult, you wouldn't even need us.'_ Neo figured.

"Just try not to pick out something too hard for the rest of us, okay boss?" Ilia asked nervously.

"Okay! Nya~" I replied, still looking over the missions and finding nothing of interest. "Unless you guys see something you really wanna do, I think we should try something else." I informed, moving to a job board marked "Human and Faunus Crimes." Those could be fun. I looked over the jobs for a few seconds. Let's see, brutal murder leaving law enforcement baffled? No, judging by the picture this was a one-time gig so there isn't much danger to others. Alleged child rapist on the run at Forever Falls? Maybe, I'll bring it up with the others later. Discover proof of legendary ninja village in the Mistral forests? Damn, that one was taken already. How about...uh oh. Shit, I'm gonna have to handle this aren't I? "Girls, I think I've got one." I called somberly.

My team came over and looked at the job I had selected. "Mysterious lab surrounded by forest where de-famed scientist vanished two years ago." Ilia read aloud. "Have been recent reports of explosions and high levels of Grimm activity. You know something about this boss?"

I sighed and nodded at my fellow faunus' question. "Dr. Merlot. From what little I know, he's trying to turn the Grimm into passive creatures that behave less like Grimm and more like any other animal. On top of creating one, he intends to make it infect any non-passive Grimm, turning them passive at the same time."

"But that's impossible!" Tara protested.

"With Remnant tech and the possibility of collateral damage too high, sure." I retorted. "But in the Vault-" I trailed off.

' _You can't be serious.'_ Neo said deadpan.

"If I can convert a Yandere like you to the good side I think I can handle a mad scientist." I replied playfully. "Besides, if he manages to perfect his serum it could be useful farther down the line." I add more seriously. "I've narrowed it down to this and some criminal on the run in Forever Falls."

"What about Mountain Glenn?" Ilia asked. "Ozpin said the Grimm population was too thick, so I'm sure he would allow us to accompany them."

"They can handle it on their own." I dismissed. "Heck, it may be easier with Roman and Neo not in play over there." I added with a smirk. I looked to my team. "Well? What do people think? Mad scientist or criminal in hiding?" Neo whacked me over the head with her umbrella and glared at me. "Sorry. Should have chosen my words better." I said sheepishly. She seems to accept this as that adorable smile is back on her face. Both the others look at me weird. "What?" I asked innocently, compete with head tilt. Hey, naïve, remember?

"Nothing." The two said as one. We debated which job to take when a team I didn't recognize came over and took the rapist hunting job.

"Well, guess that settles it! Nya~" I cheered, signing us up for the Merlot mission. The details buzzed in my scroll, and my HUD flashed with a quest.

 **New Quest: Investigate the Laboratory.**

 **Locate Merlot's Lab()**

 **Convince him to join you OR kill him()**

 **Return in time to help with the Breach:20hrs 30min(Paused)()**

 **BONUS: Kill at least 10 mutated Grimm: 10 left()**

I smiled as I noticed we were supposed to head out in about two hours. "Alright team, let's get prepped and ready to kick some ass! Nya~" I cheered, causing everyone to look at me weird except for Neo. What? I couldn't be excited about my first real mission? I was a little off-put by the timer, I was never good at timed quests and somehow I doubt that I'd get a chance to re-try here. Meh, I also played those solo or with an NPC hireling, now I have three powerful girls with me. We'll be fine.

I hope.

 _ **Well, it seems Team ANTI is set to hunt. Will they be able to convince Merlot to join them? Will they make it back to Vale in time to help with the Breach? Will I stop asking these questions and just get to writing the next chapter? Will you leave a review telling me what you thought? Find out next time!**_


	26. ANTI Mission

**_Hey everyone, I'm back!_** ** _Now let's get this hunt underway!_**

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I smiled as we touched down. According to my objective marker, the lab was north of us, but it was one of those area waypoints so I couldn't just bring us right to the lab. The flight over here had been rather uneventful, but I did have that talk with Neo. She promised no castrating people for calling me a "slutty cat" as Ilia told it. I checked the minimap and sighed. "The lab is this way...relatively speaking." I informed, waving everyone forward. "Neo, Ilia, Treetops. Mark the path back." I added, my teammates vanishing into the greenery above us.

It was a good hour before we ran into any trouble...in the form of two beowolves the size of ursai. Must be alphas...or Merlot's failures. I heard more rustling and smirked. "Kill em all!" I ordered, drawing Sekiryuki. Two more beowolves came from the bushes, trying to ambush me. Heh. Two loud bangs knocked the pair off and their claws barely grazed me as I changed my grip. "Sword Stance: Swallow Tail." I called, swinging in the familiar katana form to cut the mutant I was targeting. And it bounced off the thick bone-armor. Shit. The beowolf roared in anger before taking a swing at me, which I managed to dodge but not by much. "Tiger Tail Trap!" I snapped, aiming to capture the beast and slit its throat. Yeah, apparently it knew what I was planning cause it dodged my attack and knocked my back with a backhand(backpaw?) swipe. I cursed quietly before changing my grip on my sword. This was gonna be a long day.

Neo's POV

Let me just start by saying I'm used to fighting people, not grimm, even if I have had to handle a few in my life. That being said, I was managing to keep out of the beowolf that had chosen me as its opponent's attack range rather well. It tried to skewer me with its massive claws, but I ducked under and deployed the blade in my umbrella, noticing a gap in the armor. I smirked as I drove my weapon straight for the opening. Wow, I was lucky my blade was small enough to fit through the gap. I breathed a sigh of relief before taking notice of my team. Allie was doing okay, despite her rather defensive fighting.

Ilia seemed to be getting the hang of Rainbow Fang, as she was using its whip form to keep her beowolf at bay and when it got inside sword range, the whip snapped back to sword form and slashed, causing it to back up again.

The new girl was the one struggling. Seemed like her shotgun couldn't pierce the thick armor of her beowolf, so she had converted Silico Shot into spear mode and was fending her opponent off, if only barely. I absently wondered why she wasn't calling lightning or something as I ran in, smirking as I let my instincts take hold. I saw the perfect point to stab at, guaranteeing a painful death. I wondered if it would do something akin to a scream? That would be fun to hear. I plunged the blade into it, and like I had hoped, it let out an ear-splitting screech of pain. Tara cringed, I grinned. The grimm faded, and I turned to my teammate. _'Why no sparks?'_ I asked.

"Didn't think it was necessary." Tara replied with a shrug. "I'll help Ilia." she volunteered, shooting the beowolf that had tried to sneak up on the chameleon. Figuring I'd help my girlfriend, my grin returned at double strength and I dashed in.

It was only a few seconds after that that the grimm that had appeared had been killed. "Well that was fun." Allie declared, smiling. "Let's go." She took two steps then fell forward. I was at her side instantly, checking for wounds even when I knew there wouldn't be any. She probably just exhausted herself, and needs some rest. Or some of her mana potions. I would have gone for them, but we heard growling. Great, more bad guys.

...

Well, that took way longer than I would have liked. And Allie hasn't woken up yet even though our fighting was rather loud I turned to get back to my kitten, only to hear the other two call out to me. Turning again, I saw a giant Ursa right on top of me. Berating myself for my clumsiness, knowing I couldn't get out of the way, I waited for the pain as it brought its claw down with a roar.

BANG!

The Ursa's head freaking exploded! Wait, who shot that? I looked to Tara, but her weapon was still in spear mode. I know Ilia didn't have any guns on her sword so...I turned to see Allie, awake and holding a smoking pistol in her hand, grinning. "That was awesome." she declared, letting her hand fall to the ground. I rushed to her side as she drank a couple potions.

 _'Since when do you carry a gun?'_ I asked, helping her to her feet.

"Since the Nevermore incident." she replied. I shivered at the memory. Please, I'm begging you, don't ask. We waited a couple minutes before Allie looked around. "Looks clear, let's go! Nya~"

Allie's POV

Well, I guess I know what people mean when they say "Run yourself into the ground." That was _not_ an experience I'd like to repeat. Need to make sure I don't use up all my mana this time, even if it is to reinforce my legs to move even faster. Oh yeah, I can use reinforcement magic now. I also had a vehicle set up for if Merlot threw a dragon at us. Ooh! I wonder if Merlot will throw a dragon at us? That'll be fun! Anyway, we continued through the forest, killing a few beowolves and the occasional ursa. They were hard to handle on account of the mutations granting some serious defensive powers. And attacking powers. And some speed powers. Yeah. Anyway, we eventually found the lab, but it was heavily guarded. And by heavily guarded I mean there were three deathstalkers the size of two or three of my Lancelot.

I checked the area. Should be big enough, but I wanted to try something first. Pulling a handheld computer not unlike Ami's from Sailor Moon, I hacked into the sound system of the lab. "Dr. Merlot, my name is Allison N. Rouge, but you can call me Allie if that's easier." I introduced. I heard snickers behind me, but ignored them as I continued. "Right now, my team and I are supposed to find out what's causing the mutant grimm to run rampant through this area. Now I don't want to kill you, but I will be rolling in with a really big toy I put together cause those things are just violent. So, I suggest getting into a very sturdy room if you don't wanna die. Hope to talk to you soon! Nya~" I put the computer away, turning to my team. "So, here's the thing."

…

I grinned as we wheeled my toy into the clearing. I activated the megaphone and spoke. "I hope you found somewhere safe, Merlot. Cause now it's Grimm vs Huntsman...vs," my Badassasaurus roared flames. "Giant god-damned metal T-rex!" I finished with a cackle.

"You are insane." Tara said deadpan.

"That a complaint?" I asked, pushing the Badassasurus forward.

"No." the Maiden replied, firing her set of rockets. Now let me explain, this thing is almost twice the size of the one in Borderlands 2, so I kinda maybe added a lot more weapons, but I also need four people to pilot the damn thing. I had movements and the mouth flamethrower, Tara had the left forward rockets, Ilia the right, and Neo was in back with the controls of what I like to call the "Rain of Fire." I grinned as the deathstalkers came scuttling toward us. "Here they come, girls. Let's have some fun!" I laughed, launching a fireball from my toy's mouth.

I knew everyone was smiling, not that I could blame them. We had a rocket-shooting, fire-spitting giant metal t-rex to send against three oversized scorpions. It was a no-brainer how that was gonna go down. Our rockets pierced the armor and the flames made the giants crumble to dust. I think it was just as we finished the third one when the sirens and bright red lights flashed. Then the dragon, or maybe it was a seriously mutated chimera, took flight. "Neo, if you would." I requested, leaning the dinosaur segment forward so she had a clean shot.

Neo's POV

Okay, this has to be Allie's best one yet. And as icing on the cake, she gave me the most destructive part to control! My girlfriend is the best! As the dino portion leaned forward, my targeting screen came online, calculating trajectory and locking onto the giant flyer. I knew I was grinning ferally as my hand hovered over the big red button, but hey...psycho. The targeting completed and I slammed my hand down. Missile volley after Missile volley came from the frame and the creature was lost in a fiery explosion. ' _Tengo down.'_ I informed, sending the text to everyone's scroll. Mine pinged after a few seconds.

 _Good job sweetheart._ Allie had replied. The others sent me smiley emojis. I giggled slightly. After using the Badassasaurus' radar to see if there were any other grimm in the area(there weren't), we all got out of the doomsday machine and Allie sent it back to the Vault. Turning to the door, she grinned and pulled her pistol, aiming it at the door and pulling the trigger.

The door exploded and Allie called, "Knock Knock Bitches! Open up!" before dashing inside. The three of us shared a laugh at our leader's enthusiasm, and use of Brick quotes, before chasing after her. "Hey Merlot! You still alive in here?" Allie called out, seeming to genuinely expect an answer.

I don't know who was more surprised when an old man with a robotic, glowing red eye, a robotic right arm with red inner circuits, disheveled gray hair, a matching mustache and beard, and prominent eyebrows appeared. He was wearing a gray jacket with a high collar and a red shirt underneath I could just make out. "I suppose I have the lot of you to thank for the destruction of my test subjects." he grumbled, glaring at us.

"Well I that's kinda why I wanted to talk to you." Allie admitted, one hand on Sekiryuki. "The simple fact is your experiments are putting too many people in danger. Isn't the whole point of these things to help humanity?"

"Well what do you suggest? My island lab was destroyed, so it's not as if I can just hide in the middle of the ocean!" Merlot argued.

"I have a place." Allie replied easily. Guess she was really gonna go through with this. "It will give you all the grimm you could ask for, as well as zero-chance of harming the villages nearby. So Merlot, I'm going to offer you a choice." Allie extended her hand. "You can die here, or you can live for me." Everyone waited, wondering what the scientist's answer would be.

 _ **And done! Well, I'm just gonna say that this took way too long to finish and I apologize, but hey, life's kept me busy. Anyway, what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Somewhere in between? Leave a review telling what you thought and I'll see you all next time!**_


	27. The Breach: Allie Style

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I sighed as the bullhead took us home. We could have used Sanctuary, it was faster and the timer was starting to get too close to 0 for my liking, but that would make people ask questions I'd rather not deal with. Still an hour out from Vale, and an extra minute after that until the Breach occurred, so I guess I should check my stats.

 **Name: Allison N Rouge**

 **Race: Faunus (Cat)**

 **LV:75**

 **Class: Swordswoman(+20 to sword skills)**

 **Sub-class: Magus (+50xlv to spell effects)**

 **Title: Allie Cat(+50 to Binding Magic and DEX)**

 **HP: 3600/3600**

 **SP: 4000/4000**

 **Aura: 100%**

 **STR: 23750(20000+boosts)**

 **VIT: 18750(15000+boosts)**

 **DEX: 3550**

 **INT: 2500**

 **WIS: 500**

 **LUC: 2500**

Is it just me or are all my stats the same as I started with a couple zeros attached? Meh, whatever. I absently wondered how I could trigger my Intimidate effect when I noticed my timer hitting the 1 minute mark. "Gear up, we're about to have some company." I ordered, putting a hand on Sekiryuki. We were just passing over the Vale Plaza when the train broke ground and grimm flooded the streets. "Huntsman assemble." I joked, leaping from the bullhead and using a small wind spell to slow all our descents. Wow, I'm getting a lot of magic recently. "Sword Stance: Wilt and Blush." I said quietly, unclipping the sheath and drawing the sword. Tara shot a few rounds and Ilia moved to aid Yang and Blake with a rather large ursa that had gotten in. Neo, true to form, was killing beowolves with a sadistic grin.

We managed to kill a lot, but it wasn't until JNPR arrived and rallied with us and RWBY that things started to look somewhat hopeful. "Call it Allie." Ruby ordered from next to me.

I nodded. "Alright, the grimm won't have gotten far with this being such a crowded area. Let's use that." I began. "Ilia, Ruby, Blake, you've got the speed, help the civies evac. Yang, Nora, Pyrrha, keep the grimm off of them. Neo, Juane, Ren, take the toys I gave you and establish a two-block perimeter. Anything that isn't human or faunus gets past you, you turn it around or you turn it to ash." Everyone nodded, splitting to complete their tasks. "Tara, Weiss, try to bottle-neck these guys. You have the power, light em up. I'll take the Lancelot with it's Float system and ground as many fliers as I can." the Spring Maiden and the Shnee heiress nodded before pole-vaulting and glyph-leaping over an ursa I killed a moment later before turning to my girlfriend. "Neo," I called, getting her attention. "Kill." A grin worthy of the Hulk erupted over her face as she vanished into the mob of black, white, and red. She'll be fine. "Opening the Vault." I muttered, my favorite mech appearing.

Juane's POV

Nora, Ren and I just made it to the two-block mark when we pulled out our keys. "Let's do this guys." I declared, earning a nod from both of them.

"Opening the Vault." the three of us said, waiting for said Vault to give us our "toys" as Allie likes to call them. In front of me, an AST armor that I remembered seeing in one of Allie's Call of Duty games appeared. Stepping inside, I waited for the exo-suit to frame up, and the weapons to come online. Ren was next, getting what looked like an MP3 player. We knew better. Ren fiddled with the buttons and soon turned invisible, leaving a clone behind. Nora's toy was probably the most destructive of the lot. She got a giant flying dome-shaped robot armed with mortars, missiles, cannons, and one big-ass gun.

"Let's fly BNK3R!" Nora cackled, the cockpit opening to admit the energetic ginger.

"Alright, remember what Allie said. Nora, you're our eyes in the sky. You see anything coming our way, you let us know." I called over the com system Allie had installed on all her mobile projects. "Ren, do what you can to help people past the safe-zone, and let me know if anything gets past us."

"Right." Ren replied, vanishing again but this time in the normal Ren way.

"Yes sir, fearless leader!" Nora saluted(probably) before taking off in her giant robot. Turning toward the rush of panicked people, I saw the ursai and beowolves following right behind.

"Targets locked. Deploy homing rockets?" the AST's computer asked.

"Absolutely."

Ruby's POV

"Get away from that little boy!" I screamed, slashing my baby through a beowolf's neck. A woman grabbed the boy, thanking me before running for the safe zone. I heard Yang's shots in the distance and I absently wondered if she was using the new Singularity bullets Allie had offered to let her test. Seriously, between the classes, and the planning, and all her schemes to further a thus-far unknown goal, where did she find the time to make all these cool things? Hell, I was even able to add a ridiculously sharp and durable edge to Crescent Rose because she had offered to get me a deathstalker stinger! How she got it, I don't know and I'm not sure I want to, but the point still stands! I heard a scream and saw Nevermores boring down on a small family. I started firing what I was sure was going to be a lot of rounds by the end of the day.

Neo's POV

I grinned wickedly as I plunged the blade in my umbrella into the throat of another ursa, feeling that oh-so-sweet rush. I couldn't be happier. Allie had given me a life I could only dream of. Even if Salem was defeated, more like when but I digress, there would still be grimm as long as negative emotions existed. And since negativity is a staple in human emotion, that meant there would always be a need for huntsman and huntresses to kill the grimm. So I could kill, and kill, and kill, and _kill_ without anyone to stop me. No one would want to. As I slashed the throat of a beowolf and somersaulted over a nevermore's divebomb, I almost laughed. I'll still help Roman whenever he needs, but I have to admit...This was the life!

Allie's POV

I checked the radar on Lancelot. Looks like the grimm were being taken care of. Fleeing human and faunus heat signatures were getting past the big-ass robot and not many grimm lasted more than two seconds as they followed. There was the big group near the north, but that was being handled by the spartan and the reaper. There was one spot where a single humanoid heat source was coming off as a horde of grimm began disappearing at an incredible rate. Looks like Neo's having fun. I dodged a griffon charge before cutting it in half vertically and turned my attention to the five nevermores harassing Nora's BNK3R. I thought about giving her a hand, but then she found the particle cannon controls and ripped right through them.

I heard an insane laugh over the coms. "I am the death dealer!" Nora's battle cry came through as she turned the cannon on a group of griffons. It also took out a couple rooftops. Maybe the cannon was a bad idea.

"We're being overwhelmed at the breach point! If anyone is nearby, we need help!" Wiess' voice cut in.

"On my way." I replied, turning my attention back to the breach point and grabbing my rifle. I started laying out covering fire while Weiss froze the invading grimm while Tara electrified them. Figuring I should start with the biggest problem, I aimed for the King Taiju first and opened fire, easily blowing off its black head with the white one following.

And that was when Team CFVY showed up and kicked ass. I grinned as I landed next to Coco just as she kicked the beowolf in its non-existent balls. Keeping up the covering fire for my teammate and friend, and Wiess, I smiled as Coco's minigun tore through the nevermores above us. You all know what happened after that. Fought for a while, Beacon's teachers appeared and Glynda closed the breach, it was all the same except for one aspect. It was some generic White Fang minion that got carted off instead of Roman, who was probably trying to steal my chicken nuggets from the fridge right about now. Everyone regrouped and returned all my toys to the Vault before getting orders to help mop up what was left of the grimm.

Turning to Neo, who had been the last to arrive, I asked, "So, have fun?" She grinned and nodded enthusiastically. "We'll have to go out again sometime. Let me know if you get the itch." she nodded again before we left to clean up what was left of our unwelcome guests. My HUD flashed.

 **Quest Complete!**

 **EXP: 50000 Level Up!**

 **Rewards: 10 Nevermore Talons, 10 Beowolf Claws, 2 Deathstalker Stingers, Title: Black Cat of Beacon (Special skill: Intimidate, +10% HP)**

I smiled as I thought over the day. This had been fun, but I think I've had enough excitement until now. And one thought kept plaguing my mind.

Where the hell was Crimson in all this chaos?

 _ **And done! The Breach has been handled and it's on to the season everything starts going to shit. Well, I guess leave a review telling me what you thought, and I'll see you all next time!**_


	28. Mission Afterparty

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I collapsed onto the couch in Sanctuary. After the Breach had been handled, the real monsters had shown up. The media. Those jackals had been probing about where I had gotten my toys, how I was able to coordinate Vale's defense so well, if I was in a relationship with anyone(That one was fun when I told them I was dating Neo), and that was just the first hour. They kept us for about two.

 _'At least the day is over.'_ Neo pointed out.

"And there were almost no casualties, so there's a silver lining to today." Tara added.

I sighed, nodding. "Even so, I can't help but wonder where the hell Crimson was during all this." I said mildly. Everyone shivered at the thought of the other Gamer. "Had he been here, things could have gone a lot differently."

Everyone mulled over my words before Yang spoke up, "Well, on that cheery note I think we should celebrate coming home alive from our first missions."

And that was how yet another party began in my base.

Ilia's POV

The party was in full swing, but the stealth specialist in me really didn't like being in the middle, so for the most part I was on the balcony alone. Well, mostly alone. "I know you're there, Yang." I called behind me.

"Guess if I can't sneak up on Blake, I can't sneak up on her friend." the buxom blonde's voice came from behind me.

"So is there something you needed or?" I asked, shooting a skeptical glance at the brawler.

"Not really. Just thought you'd like someone to talk to. You seem to have something on your mind. Or someone." I blushed, turning my head away but Yang saw it already. "So it is someone. Let me guess, Blake?"

"What did Allie tell you?" was my question. No way a girl like her be bothering to talk to plain old me without some reason.

"Not much. Said you were lesbian like her, and me as a little side note, and since you knew Blake before-hand-"

"You figured I had a crush on her." I finished, a little miffed Allie had told Yang something that personal without asking me. "Well, you are right, but I realized a while ago that I'll never get her to see me like that." I sighed, turning blue for a few seconds before returning to my usual color. "But hey, there has to be someone who will want to go out with a White Fang chameleon, right?"

Yang smiled, playfully hitting my shoulder(OW!) and laughing. "That's the spirit!" she said. I rubbed my shoulder and she at least looked sheepish. "Eh heh, sorry." A song from inside played, reaching us easily. "Oh, I love this song! Care to dance?" she asked, offering a hand to me.

I turned pink as I admitted, "I...can't dance."

"Well then, let Dance Master Yang teach you how." Yang offered. That attitude must have been infectious, cause I gave into the blonde's request.

Neo's POV

I sat in front of the HQ, smiling at the music and merriment upstairs. But I still needed to calm down from my blood high. I didn't want to hurt my friends. "Heya Neo." I looked up to see Roman with that smile I think he only ever gave me. "The kitty told me about what happened. Still coming down?" I nodded as he sat next to me. "Well, care to hear about this heist I was planning?" I glanced at him, interested. Killing was always a rush, but so was stealing which is why I would still work with Roman whenever I wasn't with Allie. He outlined his plan to rob a competing crime lord of the backbone of his funds, and I pointed out the flaws that he overlooked. We fell into our usual planning rhythm. It wasn't until five minutes later that I felt a presence behind me.

I turned to see Ruby looking at us curiously. "What are you guys talking about?" she asked.

"Oh hey Red." Roman greeted jovially. "Neo and I were just planning a heist to screw with a guy that's been infringing on my business." Ruby glared at Roman, who held his hands up in mock surrender. "I'm not planning on hurting anyone. I just want to make the other guy back off."

Ruby sighed, but she had gotten used to the fact Roman was a criminal, and we had established he wasn't exactly the worst guy out there. "Well make sure you come back alive. You still have fifty games before you win our little contest."

I arched a brow at my father figure. Catching my look, Roman explained, "Oh, Red and I have this contest going on the Call of Duty game where whoever wins 100 games first can make the other do anything they want."

"Within reason!" Ruby added.

I giggled. That was such a Roman and Ruby thing to do. ' _Careful, you guys almost sound like real friends.'_ I teased. The three of us shared a laugh at that.

Tara's POV

While I was enjoying the party, this atmosphere wasn't exactly me. Of course there weren't exactly a lot of parties when I was in the Brawnwen camp or at Haven, and even then I didn't really have friends before, but I guess I could learn to deal. Or I could just lean against the wall, sipping my punch. That worked too. "Looks like I'm not the only one who can't take too much of Allie's party at once." a posh, amused voice said from next to me. I glanced at Weiss, surprised. "What? Think just cause I'm a Shnee I wouldn't want to talk to a former bandit?"

"Maybe?" I replied hesitantly.

To my relief, Weiss laughed. It was kinda cute. "Well, once upon a time I guess you'd be right." she admitted, looking at the small crowd in the HQ. "But these people have been a good influence on me." She turned to me with what I could only describe as a friendly smile. "I have to admit, I was rather impressed with your semblance today. Calling lightning is amazing."

I blushed at the compliment, but considered her words. I had used my Maiden powers, since my semblance was actually rather useless against grimm. I was hesitant to correct her, but then I remembered the Boss vouched for all the Key holders. "It wasn't my semblance." I informed quietly. Weiss shot me a quizzical look, and I took a deep breath before nodding toward the library. The two of us went in and I closed the door. "So, have you heard the story of the Four Maidens?" I asked.

"Of course. I don't think there are many who haven't." Weiss replied curiously. Not that I could blame her. But I explained what I was, what I could do. She arched an eyebrow. "So what you're telling me is you're the newest...I guess incarnation is the best word of the Spring Maiden?" she asked. I nodded and she sighed. "I wish I could say I'm surprised, but Allie would track down a myth to add to her team just to complete the bizarre set."

"What do you mean?" I asked. Guess it was my turn to be confused.

"Think about it." Weiss snapped back. "Your team consists of a girl from another world who chose to become a cat faunus and is most likely insane, a psychotic criminal, an ex-terrorist who I think my blonde teammate has a crush on, and to round out the gang, who does Allie get? The girl with mythical powers of nature."

I opened my mouth to argue, then realized she had a point. Team ANTI was a band of rather odd individuals. "I could say the same about your team though." I defended weakly.

To my surprise, Wiess nodded. "Can't argue there, but I guess we're all weird, aren't we?" We shared a laugh at that and began talking about anything we could think of. Mostly schoolwork.

 _ **And done! Well, that went better than I thought it would. Now I got a chance to start one(possibly two, haven't decided yet) ship(s), given a little RomanxNeo family stuff with some Ruby thrown in, and a little look at Neo in general. So, I guess leave a review and I'll see you next time!**_


	29. First rounds

_**Now the Volume where everything basically went to shit by the end. Goodie.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I sighed as I looked over some files. It had been a good week since the Breach, and I knew what came next. The Fighting Festival. The Fall. Penny and Pyrrha's deaths. I had a way around that last one, but I was still worried. Plus there's Crimson. He had completely vanished. I absently thought back to the grunt who had been taken. No, that couldn't be it...right? I sighed as I dismissed the files on display on the holo-table before checking the Vault's security cameras. Looks like Ruby went back to the IS Academy. She looked to be struggling, but I saw a ring of swords slash through a few of them. Oh, she brought Penny. She'll be fine. I looked over the cameras here in Sanctuary, and promptly stormed to the fridge downstairs. "Roman, hands off my chicken!" I screamed.

Roman backed away from the fridge as if it had lit him on fire, looking innocently at me. "What do you mean? I wasn't gonna take your chicken!" he defended.

"I put a camera in place to see what you were grabbing. I know that's a lie." I replied flatly. Plus lying is one of his four major skills. Along with steal, cheat, and survive.

"W-well there's not much to just snack on around here!" the ginger continued to argue. We went back and forth until I got a ping on my scroll.

Pulling it out, I sighed. "Fan-fucking-tastic. Talk about a total change." I muttered.

"Cinder and hers not in the roster?" Roman guessed. I nodded. "Well without Neo she wouldn't exactly have enough people to participate."

"She could have brought someone else in. It's not like many have seen Cinder's fourth 'Team member' so she could have even pulled Crimson." I replied, taking my chicken from the fridge and throwing a piece into my mouth. "And where the hell did that guy go anyway? I haven't seen him since the Tower incident." That had been bugging me for a while. "Hey, did you ever see Crimson when you worked for Cinder?"

"Nope." Roman replied, popping the p. "Never heard of the guy until you and Neo brought him up after the dance. Side note, we need to talk about some 'late-night' activities you've been getting up to with her recently."

"I was in heat. She came onto me. I was not the only one at fault." I replied automatically. For more info on what we're talking about, check out the Allie in Heat fic on the author's page. Anyway, I checked the time and shot a text to Ruby as well as my team. It was only a few minutes until the first rounds would be starting and I wasn't going to lose a chance to kick ass because I was late. My chicken still in hand, I went for the front gate.

...

I sighed as we left the ring. That couldn't even be considered a fight. I didn't need my magic. I barely needed Sekiryuki! I actually considered un-equipping the Triforce of Power just to make things more fair. How those guys made it this far is beyond me.

"That was so boring!" Tara complained, folding her Silico Shot into a standby mode I recently added at her request.

"Agreed. It wasn't much of a challenge at all." Ilia added, twirling Rainbow Fang in whip mode idly.

Neo checked her scroll. ' _Team RWBY's fight is about to begin, wanna go watch?'_ she asked. We all agreed and found seats for the match. It was pretty much the same as cannon, so I won't go describing it, but I did observe something rather interesting. My faunus teammate seemed to be rather intently watching one of the members, but it wasn't Blake.

It was Yang. As the blonde battled the white-haired martial artist, Ilia flinched when Yang was knocked into the ice arena. Filing this in the "tease them mercilessly later" file of my brain, I watched Blake fight the green-haired hoverboarder. I needed to talk to her. I had to get the blueprints on that board! Then I noticed another interesting tidbit. Of course, this could just be me being nosy, but Tara was watching Weiss rather closely. Then again, those two seemed the closest, despite Ruby's protests that she was the Ice Queen's "Bestie." She actually giggled as Weiss kicked the staff-weilder to the ground through one of her gravity glyphs. I filed that bit away too.

And well, we all let out a cheer when hoverboarder went over, and laughed a bit as Weiss pulled the ice fist trick. After that it wasn't long before the match was over, Ruby leaping for joy.

...

"I'm hungry." the reaper complained. Weiss made her sarcastic comment and everyone made for the Simple Wok nearby. On the way, we ran into Emerald, who Neo decided to have some fun with. Apparently Emerald had lifted Weiss's wallet. In return, Neo demonstrated that she had more skills than killing as she stole Emerald's wallet, Weiss's wallet, three other wallets, and a pair of green panties with red stripes. The thief was beet-red as she took her items back and ran while I laughed and kissed my girlfriend for a job well done.

We ate, I paid after Weiss's card was rejected, and JNPR joined us. As we ate, I went over plans in my head. We had already agreed that Neo and I would be going doubles, while I handled the final round...if I got the chance. I brushed my thumb over the Key in my pocket. I'd have to check that out to make sure it's still working. I tuned back in and it seemed everyone but me had finished, with Juane looking kinda green. "Ate too much there, Vomit Boy?" I teased.

Pyrrha glared at me before turning to comfort her boyfriend. "If I hurl, I'm blaming you guys." the blonde knight declared.

Nora followed it up with one of my favorite lines. "Ooh! Aim it at the enemy!" she suggested.

"Nora, that's gross." Ren reprimanded. And here it comes, "But if you feel the urge." he added

"Got it." Juane groaned. I giggled and everyone else rolled their eyes.

Nora then turned to me. "Hey Allie," she began.

"No." I replied immediately. "Under no circumstances are you allowed to use BNK3R during the tournament." Turning to the others, I added, "And that goes for everyone's toys. Those things are for killing grimm, not beating other huntsman." Everyone nodded and we went back to our meal. And in case you were wondering, yes. I had a bowl of fish just like Blake.

…

Well, JNPR's match went exactly how you'd expect. And I laughed when they went into an impromptu "Team Meeting." Ilia rolled her eyes. "They'd be dead if this was in the field." she critiqued.

"Yeah, but they're not so they'll be fine." I replied. We waited for Juane to give the order, and cheered when Nora hit them with the hammer.

"And Team JNPR wins by knockout. Literally. Can...someone go check on them?" Port requested.

I smiled before my thoughts drifted. I guess I looked troubled cause Neo pulled on my sleeve to get my attention and showed me her scroll, which read, " _Everything alright? You look worried.'_

"It's nothing, love." I replied, though it sounded hollow. "Just thinking of what's going to happen in the singles matches."

Neo promptly whacked me over the head. ' _Try to focus on the here-and-now. Like how I'm here and I'm bored now.'_ she ordered. I couldn't help it, I laughed as I took the team to find something to do. _'When are we gonna tease Ilia and Tara?'_ she asked on the way out. I laughed again.

 _ **And done! Wow, this took longer than I expected. So, what did people think? Good? Bad? Why am I still doing this? Leave a review and tell me what you guys thought, and I'll see you all next time!**_


	30. Threats, dates, and crushes, Oh My!

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

"Roman, hands off my chicken!" I screamed, wondering if I'd have to put a barrier up over my favorite snack. That would keep him from stealing it. Roman dropped the container back into the fridge and laughed nervously. I glared at him before sighing and unsheathing Sekiryuki. "I'm gonna try some improvements on my sword. Neo, if he tries to steal my chicken again please castrate him." I requested.

"Come on, Neo wouldn't-" Roman began before noticing Neo nod her head with a smirk. "Traitor." he grumbled as I left. I wasn't going to chance that my baby was at anything less than full strength.

I began my work, grabbing some Beowolf Claws for sharpness and a portion of the Deathstalker stinger I had left over from improving Crescent Rose for Ruby for some extra durability. I began working. "Stay close, move fast. The darkness cannot last." I sang as I worked.

Neo's POV

 _'Don't try it, Roman.'_ I warned, seeing his hand go uncomfortably close to Allie's chicken.

"Oh come on!" he protested. "What's one nugget missing gonna matter?"

 _'Good question, wanna find_ _out?'_ I asked, brandishing my umbrella. Roman gulped, realizing my threat before backing off and grabbing one of Tara's yogurts. Meh, it wasn't my sweetie's chicken so I didn't care quite as much. Plus it would be kinda funny to see if Roman would end up doing one of those x-ray things when Tara found out.

"You know, you never would have threatened that before this whole thing." Roman noted, grabbing a spoon and opening the snack in his hand. I shrugged, sitting on one of the chairs at the bar. "You also wouldn't have been smiling as much in the past few weeks if we hadn't met the kitty."

I shot him a confused look. ' _I smiled all the time before Allie.'_ I protested.

"No, you smirked." Roman corrected. "You rarely smiled. Or laughed. And let's face it, before Allie came into the picture I was the closest thing you had to a friend."

I was going to protest again, but as I looked at my past, both the last few months(has it only been that long?) and before that. Before Cinder. I sighed. He was right. Without Allie, I would still be working for that fire bitch and doing jobs that held no interest to me. I wouldn't have been able to really connect with anyone. I thought back to the Breach's afterparty. I had actually stayed away to keep my friends safe from me. Heh, friends. Had you told me a year ago that I'd have any other than Roman I would have laughed then slit your throat.

I smiled. ' _I hate it when you're right sometimes.'_ I admitted. Roman laughed. We both seemed to be doing that a lot more recently.

Ilia's POV

I sat in my room, trying to figure out what the hell was wrong with me. Maybe I was sick? No, that wasn't it. I was trying to figure it out when there was a knock at my door. I absently told the visitor to come in, and the problem came back en masse as Yang entered. "H-hey Yang. What's up?" I asked. Why was I stuttering?

Yang gave me that easygoing smile of hers. "I was wondering if you wanted to go to the mall?" My face turned pink, but Yang didn't seem to notice. "Ruby wanted to check out this new store. Something about spare parts for her weapon." she continued. Oh, so it wasn't a date. Some of the heat died in my face, but I noticed something else. Was I...disappointed?

"I don't mind. Let me get changed." I requested, gesturing to my stealth suit.

"Oh, no need for that. It might actually be helpful for what I have planned." Yang replied, her eyes taking on a glint of mischief.

I rolled my eyes. "What aren't you telling me?" I demanded.

...

I sighed, wondering how Yang had talked me into this. Together with Blake, it turned out Ruby was on a date, and Yang wanted my help keeping a low profile as we spied on her. Of course I was having a hard time focusing for one very big distraction. Or rather two. Yang was trying to listen in on the Nuts and Dolts pair(I had heard Allie call them that once before) and her boobs were pressing into me. And Blake had to have noticed my blush, because she smirked at me. Damn it, Belladonna, get her off of me! I was in for a long afternoon.

Ruby's POV

Damn it, Yang. Can't you just let me have a normal date with my girlfriend? "Is something the matter, Girlfriend Ruby?" Penny asked.

"If I noticed them, you must have." I replied, pointing my thumb at my sister, her best friend, and her little crush. "I can't believe her sometimes."

"Why not the other two? Surely they are party to this as well." Penny questioned.

"Yeah, but Yang's talked them into it. I guarantee that." I sighed. "Honestly, I love her dearly but I really wish she'd be a bit less overprotective." I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose with my free hand(Penny had my other one in hers).

"Should we try to ditch them?" Penny suggested. I smiled, nodding as we finished our dinner and proceeded to take a roundabout way to the movie theater, ducking inside a store when the place got crowded. I smiled as I watched the Tailing Trio pass right by us. Our date went uninterrupted the rest of the evening.

Allie's POV

I yawned as I entered my room. I had been working on Sekiryuki and a few other pet projects for most of the remainder of the day, and I was dead tired. I _was_ thinking of ways to win our doubles match tomorrow, but I took notice of a very nude Neo on my bed, looking at me with a seductive grin. "Not that I'm complaining, but what's this about?" I asked, already shedding my clothes.

 _'I just thought we should celebrate us making it to the doubles round.'_ she replied. And there wasn't much conversation afterward as I pounced.

...

I yawned as I woke up the next morning. Damn. I did _not_ get enough sleep last night. And my legs were still slightly numb. What can I say? Neo's just as good in bed as she is in battle, if not even better. Turning to see the naked beauty sleeping next to me and clutching my arm, I smiled happily before shaking her. "Neo, we've got to get up. We have our match son." I whispered in her ear.

She stirred, tightening her hold on my arm before opening those gorgeous mismatched eyes. She smiled at me, reaching for her scroll on the bedside table. ' _Morning beautiful. Get enough sleep?'_

"Not even close." I replied humorously before kissing her. "I love you." I whispered as we separated.

I was sure she would type out her response, but as she's prone to do, Neo surprised me. "I...love...you...too." she replied, though it sounded strained. Makes sense looking back. It must have been excruciating for her to actually speak.

We shared another kiss before getting dressed and ready for the day. Team ANTI all met at the bar, but Tara was glaring at us. "What's wrong?" I asked, rather confused.

"Those rooms are not as soundproof as you seem to think." the spring maiden grumbled. Three things happened. Ilia turned pink, Roman laughed, and my face exploded into red as Neo tried to look anywhere but me.

 _ **And done! Next up is the doubles round. So who do you think Allie and Neo will destroy? And I've decided I'll be writing smutty bits separately from the main story, so no complaining about how I skipped it. And before anyone complains about the obvious crush, I remind you...Subtle as a boot to the head. Anyway, leave a review telling me what you thought of the chapter and I'll see you...probably soon since I still have a bit I wanna write today.**_


	31. Doubles round: Neocat bet

_**Doubles round, here we go.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I was grinning wildly as Neo and I entered the arena. Turned out we would be fighting Coco and Fox from Team CFVY today. They wouldn't normally have two teams from the same school fighting each other, but we were the only two teams left by the time someone got to us. And it looked like Coco had taken my suggestion. Now I'm sure you're wondering what I mean so let me explain. I figured CVFY lost their doubles match in part because both Coco and Yatsuhashi were both strength fighters. Em and Merc were more agility/cloak-and-dagger type fighters. Basically it was a bad matchup. Had Coco brought Fox or Velvet, heaven help the one who comes against the rabbit, then she'd have a bit more balance and increase her chances.

She had been suspicious of me, of course. Why would I give advice to my competition? But the truth is I wanted a challenge. I wanted competition. And it seemed Coco figured that out as the living mountain was in the stands with the adorable bunny girl. I smiled at the fashionista across from me. "Glad to see you took my advice." I called. "But fate just isn't smiling on you, pairing against us. Nya~" I heard a lot of laughs in the stands.

"I never trusted fate anyway." Coco bantered back, an easy smile on her own face. I ignored Port and Obeleck until they started the match. "Fox, get the short one." Coco ordered, rushing me.

"You're gonna regret that." I giggled nervously. Coco was clearly confused until Neo appeared in front of me, slamming her umbrella into Coco's stomach. "Try not to kill her please." I sighed, turning to Fox when Neo nodded. "Guess I'm gonna play with you instead. Nya~" I commented, my eyes slitting as I put a hand on Sekiryuki. "Sword Stance: Demon Princess." I muttered, putting my newest stance to use. I almost wish I had a demon mask to complete the look. What can I say? I kinda liked Rin's technique even if Nomara beat her. Fox rushed me, swinging his wrist blades. I managed to block most of them, but a few did manage to cut my aura by a small bit. I only lost 4%, but I kinda wanted to finish with a perfect score like I knew Neo would. Wonder how she's doing?

Neo's POV

I leaped back, barely avoiding the swing of that purse I knew was way heavier than it looked. Seriously, how the hell did a minigun manage to compact itself into a designer purse? Meh, best not to question it. Right now I'm more focused on winning my bet with Allie.

 _Flashback, just before the match._

 _"Hey Neo." Allie called to me as she equipped a new set of black leather armor. "What do you say to a little bet?" I gestured for her to go on. "Well, If I were to bet that I could take out my opponent faster than you without magic?" I grinned at the challenge._

 _' And what to I get if I win?'_ _I asked._

 _"You get to do whatever you want to me. All. Night. Long." she purred in my ear. I shivered in delight as she jumped back. "But if I win, I get to do whatever I want! Nya~" I thought over it, and smiled. Either way I'd enjoy tonight. I accepted, and we sealed the deal with a kiss._

 _Back to Present_

I had so many things I wanted to try. I wonder if she'd be willing to do _that._ Well, she did say whatever I wanted. And I came up with a personal challenge to see if I could make her unable to walk as I dodged the spray of bullets Coco had tried to unleash on me. When did we get to the forested side? I could have sworn we were in the center to begin with. Must have gotten lost in my fantasy while my body went into Auto-Counter mode. Oh well. I made a zigzag for Coco and started unleashing a barrage of slashes and kicks that she couldn't defend against well. Her aura was slowly draining, and I knew I'd win pretty quickly. I'd better check to see if I still have the ball gag.

Allie's POV

I felt a (not unpleasant) shiver go down my spine. Neo was scheming something and after checking the board, I saw I needed to hurry. I didn't mind Neo's kinky sex in the slightest, but I had a really fun idea involving her own pair of cat ears and a nice pair of kitty-paw gloves. And that was about all she would be wearing when I was done with her. Well, and maybe some toys I'll steal from her. She's so cute, thinking I don't know where to find her bondage stuff.

No, bad Allie! You need to focus! Anyway, I smiled as I changed my grip. "Sword Stance: Gilded Thorn." I declared, unclipping the sheath. Fox backpedaled, but that was pretty much what I wanted as the geyser exploded beneath his feet, sending him into the air. "Gilded Thorn Modified Technique." I began, slipping into the stance for my move. "Meteor Dance!" I began swinging with all my might, hitting Fox with a brutal barrage of slashes. I smiled as his aura fell faster and faster. This move was designed to be an insta-kill. Well, a one-move-kill. Even if it was sixty slashes each. The buzzer sounded and I looked at the board, mentally cheering.

"And Fox Alistar has been eliminated by aura level." Port declared. I smiled, making sure Fox couldn't get thrown by the geysers before heading back to the center of the ring to wait for Neo. I came up with a few more ideas of what I could do to her when a brown and black blur flew past me, a buzz being heard. Looks like Neo finished up. "And Coco Adel has been eliminated. The victors are Allison N Rouge and Neo Politan of Team ANTI." The crowd cheered, Neo came out of the treeline, I kissed her deeply for a job well done, and the crowd cheered louder.

"You won't be able to walk tomorrow, just to let you know." I whispered in her ear. Neo grinned at me.

 _'You're welcome to try, kitty cat.'_ she replied.

...

We joined Ilia and Tara in the next stadium over, where Weiss and Yang were fighting Flynt and Neon. "Not even gonna ask us how it went?" I teased, sitting next to Ilia with Neo on my lap. Yeah, we're pretty shameless about our relationship if you haven't figured it out by now.

"You kicked their asses." both girls replied deadpan, not even taking their eyes off the fight.

I puffed my cheeks in annoyance. "You could at least pretend to be interested instead of ogling your girlfriends." I grumbled. That one got a reaction as both blushed furiously.

"She's not my girlfriend!" they screamed, finally looking at me even if it was in anger. I giggled and turned my attention to the fight. Wait a second.

"I told Yang none of my stuff!" I screamed angrily. She was using my damn singularity bullets to throw off Flynt's aim while Weiss attacked him from all sides. Neon was just trying to get a decent shot in, but both were dodging her rather well. With my tech in play, the match was fairly one-sided as Flynt was quickly dealt with and Neon followed soon after, though it was more difficult given she couldn't seem to stop moving, even with the implosions from the bullets pulling on her. Yang was so gonna get it when I got my hands on her. Wait a second...Yang doesn't have access to my ammo stock. Only Team ANTI members do so how the hell did. "Ilia!" I snapped, causing the chameleon to flinch.

"Sorry boss. I wanted to help my friends and this was the quickest way I could think of." she replied sheepishly.

"We'll discuss this later." I sighed, rubbing my temples as Neon took a few more blows. Wait a minute. "Tara, any idea why Weiss is moving so fast? And don't tell me her glyphs." I glared at the maiden.

"That was me too." Ilia said quickly. I sighed, filing this in the "Discuss later" category. Seriously, I get my tech is badass, but it isn't supposed to be used so frivolously. I really need to make my dangerous toys more secure.

The buzzer sounded, and I hopped into the arena to get my hands on what was left of the stolen bullets. I would so need tonight.

 _ **And done! I'll be posting what Allie and Neo will be doing separately from the main story, check my page if you're interested as I'm working on that next. Other than that what do you guys think? Leave a review and I'll see you guys next time!**_


	32. Yang vs Allie and PVP

_**To MasterBlade47, good idea. I may just do that. Now let's get back to business.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I yawned as I got out of bed, then I fell on my face. Damn, guess I can lose feeling in my legs. Thought Gamer's Body would take care of that, but I guess it only works with wounds, not general aches and pains. I bit back a curse as I used wind magic to get back onto the bed before looking at the girl responsible for my lack of walking ability. Neo was sleeping peacefully, a small smile on her face as she dreamed. I smiled and pressed a light kiss to her forehead before looking through my inventory. Let's see. No. No. Could have used that last night. Damn, I wish I had that when Nora got her hands on that cup of coffee. There it is. I pulled out a restoration potion and drank the contents. This time I was able to get up and take a bath. My match wasn't until this afternoon, so I wasn't worried about just soaking.

"What a great morning after." I whispered, getting a little hot remembering what had happened last night. I've gotta ask where Neo learned how to use her tongue like that when she wakes up. I also hope the silence scroll held up. We were at it for a while. Hope we didn't keep the others up again. I smiled again. I thought back to a few months ago when I was isekai'd. Had it really only been a few months? A few months since I got the best friends I could ask for? A place I can really call home? A girl I love and who loves me? I smiled. "My life is great. Even if I missed Qrow's fight with Winter." I sighed happily as I laid in the bath. I was still a little miffed about missing it, though.

...

"That tears it. We've officially replaced Cinder's team in cannon." I sighed, getting ready for my match with Yang. Yeah, Yang. "I should have seen the signs. I mean we took on that no-name group and Neo even stomped on the one guy's face! Then we took on Coco and Fox. How could I have not realized what was happening?" I berated myself. I absently wondered who Ilia would be cheering for. It was obvious to everyone that she had a thing for Yang. And the easygoing brawler seemed to enjoy my chameleon friend's company. I thought back to my bet with Neo and began forming a plan. This was going to be funny.

Ilia's POV

I felt a shiver. Looking to my friends in RWBY and JNPR, I realized a good deal of them felt it too. "The boss is scheming." I declared, everyone nodding. We chatted for a bit before Port called everyone's attention.

"And now we get to the next match of the day. It seems we have two Beacon students facing off, as unusual as that is. First up is the fiery blonde brawler, Yang Xiao-Long from Team RWBY." we all cheered as Yang appeared, waving to the crowd with that beautiful smile. Wait what? There was no way I was...no way. But she is easy to get along with. Not all her puns are terrible. And she's so pretty. Oh shit. I'm crushing on Yang.

"I must say, Miss Xioa-Long is a fan-favorite to win. Her brute strength alone has felled many opponents in the tournament already." Obleck stated.

"Indeed, but her opponent has many tricks up her sleeve to counter her brute force method. And here she is, the one known as The Black Cat of Beacon, leader of Team ANTI and one of my personal favorite students, Allsion N Rouge!" Port introduced. The boss strode out, her entire body just oozing confidence. Not that I could blame her. Yang was good, but it was a well-known fact only Neo could keep up with the Black Cat.

Allie's POV

I smiled as I walked down in what I hoped was a confident stride. In the ring I stood face-to-face with Yang. "Drop out now, you can't beat me." I suggested. I wasn't being mean. Hell, I would prefer I she drop out just because of what comes next. We'd need her.

Yang smirked. "We'll never know," she stated, slamming her fists together, "Unless I try." Something was up. Yang may have improved since I first met her, but I was still stronger and it wasn't like she had anything special up her...crap.

"You have Singularities, don't you?" I asked dryly. Yang's smirk grew into a Cheshire grin. "Damn it all." I sighed, trying to think of a way to beat the bullets as I got into a drawing stance. The buzzer sounded and Yang charged me. Guess she wanted a close range fight. "Sword Stance: Batosai." I declared, drawing and slashing with my superior speed. Yang was knocked away and I moved, pulling a Wendy and tripping on a rock, faceplanting. I laughed nervously. "Well that was embarrassing. Nya~" I giggled. I could feel everyone sweat dropping at me. Getting to my feet, I resumed my charge.

Of course, seeing me spar with Neo almost every day has given her an idea of how I fight, so it was easy for her to dodge and fire off a few shots which were...harder to dodge. Why did I think shotgun singularities were smart again? Oh yeah, I'm crazy. "You're gonna have to try harder than that to beat me, Black Cat." Yang taunted.

"Alright, but remember you asked for it." I replied, my (today they were) purple eyes slitting. "And since it's me, I guess I can unlock it for you for this match." Yang looked at me confused until I held out a hand. "Opening the Vault."

Yang smirked as she held out a hand herself. "Opening the Vault." she invoked. In her hand appeared a shotgun I recognized instantly. She was using the Boomacorn. "Alright Allie, let's see how you handle this!" Yang called, firing the Jackobs gun.

This could be rough. If I hadn't gotten this in a dungeon run recently. In my hand was a ray gun with a longsword blade as a bayonet, a blue-gray coloring, and a very cold beam. "Behold Excalibastard!" I called, pulling the trigger. Of course, I didn't take into account the fact since my level was so high, the gun would upgrade its power with me. It's not like it does that in the game after all. So when I was expecting a concentrated cold beam, what came out of the gun was an explosion of pure winter. The arena was coated in ice, the shotgun blast clattering to the ground harmlessly. "Maybe that was a bad idea." I muttered, pulling a card from my pocket. "Fiery, melt this ice. Release and Dispel!" I called, activating the card. Things were back to normal and I pulled a different gun this time. My Combustion Hellfire should do the job. I opened fire with the SMG, causing Yang to fire shots back at me as she tried to evade. Between the Boomacorn and the Singularity bullets in Ember Cecilia, I was actually having trouble. I shot Hellfire as I closed the distance before returning it to the Vault, swinging Sekiryuki. Yang couldn't block, and thanks to my ridiculous strength, and the fact I was never aiming to hit Yang with my Hellfire shots, I was able to herd her to the edge and ring her out.

Yang shook herself off and looked at me wryly. "Not bad." she admitted, reaching to shake my hand. I was stupid enough to take it and she pulled me into a noogie.

"Yang, let me go!" I laughed, fake-struggling to get out of the hold.

"What a great display of sportsmanship." Port laughed in the commentator's booth. "And as our grand fanalie, we'll be going straight to the match between The Invincible Girl Pyrrha Nikos vs the Atlas swordswoman Penny Polledina."

"Shit." I muttered, pulling my scroll and sending a group text to the rest of ANTI.

Tara's POV

"Well that was over rather quickly." I commented. Weiss nodded, sighing.

"It figures that Yang would face such an overwhelming opponent like Allie. I swear those two are birds of a feather." she added.

We were about to start discussing the whole fight when my scroll pinged. And Ilia's. And Neo's. We all pulled our scrolls and looked at the message from Allie.

 _Find Emerald. She cannot be allowed to watch the next match. And tell Ruby she needs to tell Pyrrha to be careful with her semblance._

 _-A_

That confused me, but it seemed Neo knew what was going on as she told us, ' _Let's go. Allie's right, Emerald can't be allowed to view the next match.'_

"Why not?" Ruby asked, having read Neo's message.

"Her semblance is like Neo's. Only difference is she can't do multiple targets well. And she has no problem using it from the stands to cause a misunderstanding that could cause major issues." Ilia informed.

I still wasn't getting it. What issues could she cause if she was watching Pyrrha take on Penny-and I just heard myself. "She's going to cause an accident in the next match." I guessed. Neo nodded, everyone looking worried with Ruby and Juane looking the worst. Makes sense, both are dating the girls about to face off. Everyone began their search.

Ruby's POV

I had decided to search the halls in case Emerald was hiding in one until it was time for her to...do something that could get my friend and girlfriend hurt or worse. "Well well, what do we have here?" I turned to see Mercury leaning against the wall. "And why are you back here instead of watching your friends face off? Cheering for them?" the assassin questioned me.

"I know you're planning on something that will get them both hurt. Everyone's trying to find Emerald so none of you can't pull it off." I replied, hoping Allie had thought to unlock it.

"Oh really? Well then I guess I'm gonna have to make sure that that doesn't happen." Mercury replied, taking a kickboxing stance.

"You can try. Opening the Vault." I replied, the familiar portal opening as a gun took form in my hand. I hoisted the Onslaught Scorpio and aimed it at him. "Not what I'm used to, but I can still use it to take you down." I declared. Mercury tsked before firing his boot.

Neo's POV

Damn it all, where is that lapdog? I knew Ruby and Weiss were checking the halls. Ilia had suggested that most of them search the crowd. I had to admit it was a clever plan, but Allie took it one step further, deciding we needed a bird's eye view. I volunteered, thinking I could maybe counter Emerald's illusion if the others didn't find her in time. The match had started. Everything looked okay. But I couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to go horribly wrong down there.

Allie's POV

Damn it! I can't move through these crowds, and I need to find that mint-haired lapdog before she makes Pyrrha execute Penny! I worked too hard to keep this from happening, I won't fail now! Damn it, damn it, damn it! Where was she?

Emerald's POV

I sat near the stadium. I had to see Pyrrha's eyes clearly if this was gonna work. As the match began, I had to admit I was impressed with the robot girl. Maybe once we break her, we can bring her to Watts so he can turn her into a weapon? I'll ask Cinder about it later. As for now, I had best start. The first thing was simple. Just make it look like her weapons were bending. Woah, the swords could shoot lasers? That was kinda badass. Penny knocked Pyrrha's weapons away. Now was the time. I made her see more than just the five swords. Ten, then twenty, then fifty. I could see her panic. As the swords flew at her, Pyrrha used her semblance to throw them back. Penny broke apart.

Allie's POV

NO! Damn it, I was too late! No, calm down. You can still salvage this. I dashed down the steps to the destroyed android. Cinder began talking, but I ignored her and waited. The Nevermore crashed into the stadium roof right on cue, and everyone panicked. Time to act. The end was coming. I only hoped Ruby didn't see what had just happened.

Of course luck doesn't like me that much.

 _ **And done! Well, looks like things are getting bad. The Fall of Beacon has begun. Can Team ANTI stop it? Or are they powerless to save their school? Well, leave a review and tell me what you guys thought, and I'll see you next time!**_

 _ **PS I said this would closely follow cannon, so don't get too mad.**_


	33. Everything goes to shit

_**Probably gonna be the darkest chapter of the story so far. Enjoy!**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I cursed mentally, in a few different languages, as I turned to see civvies evacuating. I pulled my scroll, sending a group text to everyone not in Sanctuary to get the civives out. I wouldn't let there be any more casualties. I sent a separate text to Nora, Neo, and Blake.

 _To the skies._

 _-A_

I glared at the invading grimm. They were not gonna destroy my school, or my town. Not if I could do anything about it.

Neo's POV

I read Allie's text and bit my bottom lip. Sure I hadn't exactly hung out as much with Penny, but she was still my friend. Or at least I like to think she was. But Allie was right, we had to make sure no one else got hurt. I closed my eyes and thought the incantation. My Unicorn took form in front of me and I climbed into the cockpit. Let's do this. I took off, weapons appearing as I engaged the first grimm of the night. A nevermore who had gotten too close to me.

I hope the others are okay right now. Especially Little Red.

Ruby's POV

 _This can't be real._ That was the only thought going through my head as I collapsed to my knees. _This can't be real. She can't be dead. Penny can't be..._ I cried. I cried for my lost love. I cried while my friends fought. I cried until I felt my sister's comforting arms around me. And then I cried until I couldn't cry anymore. I looked at Yang. "What's the situation right now?" I asked. I would grieve more later. Now there were people who needed my help. I had cried enough for now.

"Nora, Neo, and Blake took their flying robots and are doing what they can to fend off the grimm in the skies. But there have been sightings of White Fang attacks on Beacon." Yang informed. "Tara, Ilia, and Allie are doing what they can to beat them back with Wiess, Nora, and Ren."

"Juane and Pyrrha?" I asked, my voice cracking when I said my redheaded friend's name.

"They vanished, probably helping with the evac." Yang replied. "I'm not gonna lie Rubes, it looks bad. If you retreated to Sanctuary, I doubt anyone would blame you."

I shook my head, standing. "I'm a huntress, Yang. This is my job." I summoned Crescent Rose to my location, and we were moving through the halls.

Crimson's POV

Looks like Cinder started the party. I knew she could outmaneuver that little kitten. I smiled as I broke out of the cell the Atlas soldiers had placed me in when they had arrested me during the Breach. Looks like, while the details have changed, the end result will be the same. I will bring victory to Lady Salem, without a doubt. I killed the guards and made my way to the bridge. from there, uploading the queen virus was rather simple.

Allie's POV

The Atlesian Knights looked weird. Oh shit. "Take cover!" I screamed, blocking the majority of the blasts and ducking behind some rubble when everyone else was clear. "Shit. Looks like my hunch was right." I cursed. No way would a grunt be trusted to handle something like this. Crimson was aboard one of the ships. I shot a text to Neo. If she could take them all down, we may be able to kill two birds with one stone. Nora's particle cannon cut through the skies and I could see Neo flying toward the ships. Go get em, love. I pulled a couple corrosive singularities from my inventory. "Explosives out! Everyone retreat to the courtyard!" I commanded, tossing the grenades. The Knights were all pulled in, the acid melting their armor, but the huntsmen in training were still pulling back and they were still shooting. I snarled, putting a hand on my sword. "I won't let you undo all my hard work. Let's do this, Sekiryuki." I declared, rushing the still-operational knights. "Sword Stance: Demon Princess!" I started, cutting the first one down.

A Paladin appeared next, pointing his big gun at me. "Sword Stance: Wilt and Blush." I commanded, unclipping the sheath and intercepting most of the bullets. After that it was easy to cut it down. I could take these things.

That was about when I heard the roar. Shit, the wyvern had appeared. Everyone seemed to have regrouped, so I danced away from the robots and took cover. I considered my options. Lancelot wasn't powerful enough, much as I hate to admit it. Hell, BNK3R's particle cannon could only cause a flesh wound on that thing. I did have _that,_ but I haven't been able to test it yet. I looked up when the wyvern roared. It was dropping its spawn on Vale. You know what? Testing time. "Opening the Vault." I commanded.

The Vault opened, and a suit of armor began to rise. "Come forth, and give me the power to crush evil." I chanted. "Give me power to protect those who are dear to me, and those whom I truly love. Awaken and serve me, Triad Heart!" The golden armor flew at me, almost seeming to liquify as it began clinging to my body, taking the shape of it. Two silver wings sprouted from my back as the visor opened. With a single flap, I took flight.

...

Systems seemed to be functioning well. It was a bit of a pain remembering to flap my wings, and the height made my head swim. Cats are not supposed to fly. But I can't think about that now as I came face to face with the wyvern. "I'm missing a badass display right now thanks to you, so you better be a challenge for me." I scolded. Seriously, I was missing Velvet for this. It had better be worthwhile.

The wyvern roared, trying to eat me in one gulp. Triad Heart got me out of the way fairly fast and increased my power even further than before. To quote a certain Saiyan, My Power level was over nine thousand. Sekiryuki pierced the wyvern's flesh, and I ran down the length of his body. The wyvern roared again. "Do I have your attention now?" I asked, mockery in my tone. It charged me, and I took a chance as I dodged to **Analyze** it.

 **Grimm Wyvern Larry**

 **LV 70**

I giggled at the wyvern's name. Seriously? Larry? How quickly I can lose a lot of my fear from this guy. I dove for another slash. "Let's see how tough your wings are this time." I suggested.

Neo's POV

I saw one of the ships fire on another, and figured I had found Crimson. I pulled the VARIS rifle I had asked Allie to add to the arsenal and fired through the bridge. Did I get him? Nope. Crimson flew out of the ship on the back of one of his mantas, a bunch of mutant looking hornets shooting acid at me. Shit. I guess I would have to let him go for now. But as I looked at the falling airships, I wonder whether I was in time or not. These past few months have been the best in my life. I didn't want them to end.

I heard an explosion behind me. I turned to see Allie in some new armor. Wait a minute. That was the Heart! Allie had said it was her ultimate weapon, or would be when she had finished it. But it hadn't been tested yet. I knew, I helped build that thing. So did Roman. The three of us had put our hearts into making it, and only the three of us could wield it. That's what earned it its name.

Allie must be desperate to pull it out. I rushed to aid her.

Ruby's POV

We had evacuated the civilians. The school was next. Blake had landed her flying tiger thing near us, returning it to the Vault since it was out of ammo and almost out of fuel. Guess even Allie has to follow some of the rules. Or she at least hasn't found a way to break those rules yet. "The Atlas robots have been shut down, but the White Fang and the grimm are still running through the school. Let's do what we can to get everyone out." I ordered.

"What about the school itself?" Weiss asked.

"The school can be replaced, none of the people inside can." I replied. She must have seen the intensity in my eyes, because she nodded, accepting my judgement. "Let's get going." We split up. Yang, Ilia, and Blake went in one direction, Tara went in another. Wiess and I took another direction. As I saw the ruins of my school, my home for almost a year, my resolve strengthened. I've lost my home and my love. I won't lose anyone else.

Ilia's POV

"I don't get it, why would the Fang attack Beacon? There's no way Sienna Khan knows about this." I muttered.

"It's Adam." Blake declared. "Only he would try something so foolish." I looked to her. I know she loved him at a time, but that love had turned to fear.

"Well even if this Adam guy is here, we'll kick his ass together." Yang declared, stopping long enough to punch an Ursa out of the way of some fleeing students. I smiled at Yang's enthusiasm, and the way her hair almost looked like a part of the fires surrounding us.

Blake noticed. "You should tell her." she suggested. I couldn't respond. I had grimm to fight. Two beowolves fell to Rainbow Fang at once. Three boaratusks followed soon after. I don't know when she did, but Blake apparently heard something and ran to investigate.

Blake's POV

I heard a scream, like someone was in pain. Ilia and Yang had things well in hand, so I left to investigate. I wish I had stayed with them. I watched in horror as the familiar crimson blade came out from a student, most likely dead. I drew Gambol Shroud as the wielder of the blade turned to face me. "Hello Blake." Adam greeted in that spiteful voice.

Allie's POV

The wyvern was giving us trouble. Even with Neo's help, by which I mean she basically served as a distraction when she realized even the Unicorn's full strength couldn't damage this thing, it was slow going. It was covered in cuts from my Sekiryuki, but my magic was basically useless against it. I had mostly binding magic, with some wind spells thrown into the mix. But I can't sharpen the wind enough to pierce the damned monster. I was pretty much betting on the Heart's power at this point. The combined power of me, Neo, and Roman. Suddenly the wyvern looked at Beacon. Why would it? NoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNoNo. Please say she's not that stupid! I looked where the dragon had dove for. Ozpin's office. And I could see two figures fighting as well as glyphs running up the side of the building. I'm running out of time. "Neo, get down there now!" I ordered, completely panicking.

Ruby's POV

I looked at my sister. She and Ilia had found Blake, stabbed through her stomach. Yang had rushed in to defend her, but Adam cut off her arm. Ilia bought them time to get away, using Rainbow Fang to keep him at a distance and escaping with the help of some smoke bombs. Then my scroll rang. I was confused by Juane's sudden call, saying something about Pyrrha. Then Ozpin's office exploded. I looked to Weiss. She nodded and made a line of glyphs to the top. I ran.

I moved faster with every glyph my feet touched, and soon I was at the top of the tower. But I was too late. Cinder shot Pyrrha through the heart. The redhead was gasping for breath, but her head fell forward as Cinder grabbed her face, and she vanished in a flash of light. I watched it happen, horror on my face. I felt something welling up in me. "Pyrrha!" I screamed. And everything went white.

 _ **Done. That's all I'm going to say. The chapter is titled like it was for a reason after all. So leave a review and I'll see everyone next time.**_


	34. What's next?

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos.**_

The four of us stood in Sanctuary, a heavy silence permeating the room. Roman had gone to Vale to see what he and what's left of his empire could do to return Vale to its former glory. After all, a ruined town is bad for business. Weiss had been taken back to Atlas, Blake was en-route to Menagerie. Ruby was still unconscious. Yang had fallen into a depression over the loss of her arm. Beacon had fallen. Ozpin was dead.

My fist slammed into the bar table. "Damn it! Damn it all to hell!" I snarled. "Ozpin you fool! If you had listened, this wouldn't have happened. Why didn't you listen?" I demanded of the dead man.

Neo put a comforting hand on my shoulder. I smiled at the gesture and calmed down. Then Ilia asked the question on everyone's minds. "What's next?"

"This won't stop with Beacon. We need to get Team RWBY and what's left of JNPR to Mistral." I replied. "I don't trust Sienna Khan to be able to contain this. Most likely Adam will attempt to assassinate her and blame the huntsmen." Ilia looked nervous. "I've taken steps to ensure she survives. Don't worry."

Tara was the next one to ask a question. "What do we need to do?"

"We'll need to split up. We can't get into Atlas without raising alarms, but Weiss will be able to get out of there on her own." I informed. I didn't like it, but it was the truth. "Tara, I need you to go with Ruby and the rest of JNPR. You know Mistral even better than Ren and Nora. Make sure they don't get lost." the maiden nodded and I turned to Ilia. "I need you in Menagerie. I told Blake about the plot against her parents."

"No way." Ilia snapped. Everyone looked surprised at the usually quiet faunus. "Ruby will be leaving to help others. Yang will accept that. But she still needs someone to be there for her. I won't abandon her." The look in her eyes made me relent.

"Neo, you okay with going to Menagerie?" I asked. She nodded, and everyone began preparing.

We met at the gate, said our goodbyes, and promised to meet in Mistral. I hugged both Ilia and Tara before each stepped through a portal. I kissed Neo deeply. "Be safe." I whispered. She nodded, kissing me again before stepping through the portal.

"Will Tara tell them?" came a voice from behind me.

"You should be in bed." I scolded without turning.

"Will she tell them?" the voice repeated.

"I don't know." I replied. Turning toward the Garage, I stretched. "Now get back to bed. I have to put Humpty Dumpty back together, and I need you in fighting shape by the time the others reach Mistral." I passed her as I entered the garage, ready to get to work.

Neo's POV

I landed in front of the port Blake would be taking to get to Menagerie. And I waited, watching the crowd for the familiar black bow. Seeing it pass me, I caught up to the faunus and tapped her shoulder. Blake turned, hand on her weapon. I smiled and waved. "What are you doing here?" she asked suspiciously.

' _Allie thought you'd need backup. I'm here to give a hand.'_ I replied. Blake glared at me, but motioned to follow her as we boarded the boat.

Ilia's POV

I landed just outside Yang's room. I knocked before coming in. "Yang, it's me." I called in. She looked terrible. She looked like she hadn't slept in days, and rarely ate. "Hey." she greeted.

"Why are you here?" Yang questioned, looking out the window.

I huffed. "Well I'm sorry, I didn't know I needed a reason to visit a friend. Especially one who's having a bad time like you." I snapped. I waited, but Yang didn't reply for a while.

"Might as well sit if you're gonna stay here." she eventually said. I smiled, pulling up a chair next to her. "So was this Allie's idea?" she asked me.

"No, her idea was to send me to Menagerie to help Blake." I replied. That time Yang looked at me.

"What do you mean 'Help Blake?"' she demanded.

"Her family is most likely being targeted by Adam. As soon as she knew you'd live she rushed off to save them." I explained. Some of the light seemed to come back into her eyes.

"So she didn't just abandon me." she muttered. I shook my head, and soon we began talking.

Tara's POV

I landed just outside the room where Juane, Nora, and Ren were staying. I knocked. It was Ren who answered. "Hey. I need to talk to you three, about where the enemy is heading next." Ren stepped away to let me in. The next day, Ruby woke. A few days after that, we left to hunt down Salem's forces in Mistral. Ilia would stay behind to help Yang back onto her feet. Neo was going to kill some assassins. And Allie would meet us there with our recent patient and Humpty Dumpty.

How would this play out?

 _ **And done. I'm pretty sure you can guess who's left in Sanctuary, but I'm still not going to mention names. And now Allie's going to be taking a backseat while the rest of Team ANTI works on helping things along. So, leave a review and tell me what you thought. See everyone next time.**_


	35. Journey to Menagerie

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos.**_

Neo's POV

The boat ride to Menagerie had been rather uneventful so far. Blake had been broody, and I decided not to pester her yet. I was good, but Blake's fighting style was similar to mine, and I was a little worried she'd ruin my perfect record if I pissed her off. Oh, and it turned out Sun is here. He hasn't shown himself yet, but I caught enough of a look at him in that cloak to know it was him. I wonder when he'd show himself.

"Guess I won't be needing this anymore." Blake said, dropping her bow into the ocean. Oh seriously? Throw it away like a normal person, don't pollute the ocean! I heard footsteps, and Blake turned, drawing her weapon. "Who's there?" she demanded. I ran over, umbrella in combat position before seeing a fleeing cloaked man. Oh, Sun had checked what was going on. Blake continued to glare after him until the boat shook. The two of us ran to the front, where a giant sea serpent grimm roared.

I heard the captain giving some orders, but I considered summoning Unicorn. No, it still needed repairs and Allie was focused on _that_ project. She probably hadn't gotten it taken care of yet. I clicked the blade in my umbrella out and glanced at Blake. She made the first move, using one of her clones to get more distance as she hooked into the armor on its chest, swinging back and firing at the monster's unprotected backside.

That only seemed to piss it off as it dove for the ship. Thankfully this ship's captain seems to be rather competent as he managed to steer the boat away from the grimm's attack. Blake went for another round, me hot oh her heels as we got to the top of the ship, Blake firing at the serpent as it surfaced and both of us leaping to slash at its nose before landing back on the deck when the cannons opened fire. That was when they pulled out the big gun. Literally. That was almost the size of the BNK3R's cannon. And now the grimm can fly. The big cannon fired, but the serpent-like dragon evaded the attacks.

The grimm charged a lightning breath attack, but I was sure my umbrella could take it. Then the monkey king decided to help, using Blake as a springboard before shedding his cloak and activating his semblance, allowing him onto the dragon. "Sun?" Blake gasped. Sun pulled on the whiskers, making the dragon's attack swing wide. Then the thing started flailing. "What are you doing?" Blake demanded.

"Oh you know, just hanging out!" Sun joked. That was about when the dragon tossed him. I was really not all that useful here. Especially when Blake slingshoted herself to catch him. The looked like they were arguing for a second, not that I could tell what it was about, but the dragon was coming again. I pulled the Lumpy Handcannon Allie had made me from my belt, shooting the explosive pistol to at least keep it from attacking.

Oh look, the lovebirds were back in the fight. Blake tried to shoot, but Sun intervened when the grimm shot another lightning breath attack. I was a little surprised he was able to block the shot. "Huntsmen!" the captain called. The three of us looked at him. "If you can clip its wings and draw it out towards the bow, we can take it." I grinned. Time for some fun.

Sun looked at us sheepishly. "I mean, you're the ones with the swords." he defended. Blake groaned as Sun called his clones, letting us use each as a springboard to get well above the dragon. Although I did think it was a bit immature for Blake to use the real Sun like she did. We were above the dragon now, evading the lightning blasts like skydivers as we each landed on a wing, cutting from the outer edge and moving inward before jumping toward the rock formations. Sun pretty much appeared as he caught Blake. I landed with my umbrella open in my Mary Poppins fashion. "This is the part where you say it." Sun informed. Blake groaned, but I saw a smile and a blush when he caught her.

The dragon chased us through the formations, but other than when it almost ate Sun only to be saved by Blake, we didn't really have much to worry about. I smirked as the boat pinned the dragon before the big cannon fired, effectively killing it. What a surprise. Non-huntsman weapons actually being effective. The three of us managed to get back on the boat okay.

...

"Yeah, I figured something like that was going on when I saw Neo." Sun sighed, looking at me. I smiled and waved before leaving for some fresh air. I should give them some time alone. I checked my texts, seeing nothing of interest. So I looked out over the sea. I thought about my little adventure with Blake. She was quieter than my usual companions, that much was for sure. Of course I missed Allie and Roman, but both were busy and I wasn't selfish enough to bug them when they were busy. I hope my other teammates are okay. Ilia's safe enough, I guess, but Tara is with Ruby. That's always going to mean excitement. I heard the door open behind me.

' _Let me guess, she agreed you can stay since she would get into trouble throwing you overboard?'_ I asked, turning to Sun.

The monkey faunus laughed. "Yeah, but I can't really blame her for being moody, after what happened." Sun replied. Oh yeah. I should probably say something about that. Nah, I'll do it another time. I just nodded and the two of us looked out at the ocean. "Do you think Allie would like this view?" Sun asked.

I shrugged. _'I honestly don't know. Probably, if only for all the fish she could get her hands on."_ Sun laughed, and I giggled right along with him.

"So, what is the Black Cat of Beacon up to right now?" Sun asked.

 _'She's doing what she can to prepare so what happened at Beacon doesn't happen anywhere else.'_ I replied. Not a lie, but not the entire truth. Ozpin would be proud. The two of us went back and forth for a while, and it felt like talking to an older brother for a while. We didn't really stop until I yawned and Sun insisted I get to bed. This was starting out pretty well.

...

Damn this place was crowded. I guess when you can't live on two-thirds it makes sense, but that didn't make it any less annoying when I had to run just to stay in one place. And it turned out Weiss wasn't the only princess in Team RWBY. Well, chieftain's daughter. Same dif. We approached the big house and Blake hesitated as she went to knock on the door. I rolled my eyes as I stepped past her and knocked, quickly stepping back.

A woman who I swear could be Blake in twenty years opened the door and gasped as she saw Blake. "Hi Mom." the faunus teen said nervously. Huh, so this was Kali Belladonna. She looked as good as Allie had said. Probably shouldn't tell her I thought that.

"Blake, welcome home." Kali said through happy tears.

"Kali, what is going-" a giant of a man appeared in the doorway, freezing in his tracks when he saw the black cat I had been assigned to watch. "Blake."

Said girl looked up nervously. "Hi Dad."

Wait what? That's like a puma mating with a housecat. How did that work? No, Allie always advised me against asking questions I don't want the answers to. We were all invited in, though I saw Blake's dad glare slightly at Sun. Oh boy, not this whole thing. Looks like I'm gonna have to protect Sun as well as Blake while I'm here.

 _ **And done! Blake, Sun, and Neo had a little fun on the water and come to Blake's home in Menagerie. And you cannot tell me that the size difference between Kali and Ghira went unnoticed. So I guess leave a review telling me what you thought and I'll see you all next time!**_


	36. The Xiao-Long house

_**Was gonna do RNJR and Tara first, but decided on this instead. Hope you enjoy!**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Ilia's POV

It had been a little over a week since I had been staying with Yang and her father, who insisted I call him Tai. Yang was still in a bit of a funk from the loss of her arm, but she was at least talking to me. That was something. And I think I was helping her get back to her carefree self, if only a little, by being there. "Hey Ilia, lunch is ready!" Tai called out to me. I had been training in the front yard, but clicked Rainbow Fang back into sword form and sheathed it before turning.

"Coming!" I called, running for the front door. Once I had gotten inside, I sat at the table, searching for a certain blonde.

"She hasn't come down today." Tai informed, coming out with some hotdogs. I sighed. There were days like this, where Yang still wouldn't come out of her room. On those days it was mostly one of us bringing food up to her, sometimes trying to get her to talk, but mostly it was a good idea to just leave her alone.

"Want me to take lunch to her?" I offered. Tai nodded and I took both Yang and my plates and went upstairs. The door was cracked so that made it easy. "Hey Yang, I've got lunch." I called in before entering.

The blonde greeted me with a somewhat forced smile. "Hey Ilia. Thanks for bringing it for me." she greeted.

"It's not a problem." I replied, handing her her plate. "So one of those days today?" I asked, sitting in my usual chair. She nodded. "Wanna talk about it?" I asked. She shook her head. "Well, at least tell me if anything came by the window." I suggested. "Did that robin come back?"

Yang giggled a bit but shook her head. "No, it hasn't come _robbin_ me of my snacks today." she joked. It was cheesy, it was horrible, and I couldn't fight back the laugh bubbling in my throat. "But there was a deer that came by. I think it was looking to _fawn_ over me." I laughed again, and she smiled. "I swear you're the only one who thinks my horrible puns are funny."

"They're not all horrible." I argued.

"Oh no, they're horrible. Especially now." Yang argued back, but she was smiling so I was pretty sure she was joking. "I saw you training, you're getting pretty good." she complimented.

I turned a little pink at that. Damn it, I can't hide my emotions when I change colors all the time! Then what she said clicked. "Wait, your window is looking out the back. You did get out of bed today!" Yang blushed, embarrassed at being caught. I giggled again and smiled. "Well, if you want to watch, you can always come out with me." I offered.

Yang's smile wavered. "I don't know. I don't think I'm ready to go outside yet." she replied.

"Then watch from the window like I know Tai does." I suggested. "You can watch me train and your dad gets to see you outside this room. You know he worries." Yang hummed as she bit into her hotdog. I did the same and we continued chatting until I picked up the now-empty plates. "I'll be heading back outside in a few. If you wanna watch, feel free." I called behind me, exiting the room.

When I went back outside, I was happy to see not one, but two blondes talking in the living room while watching my deadly dance.

Yang's POV

I smiled as I watched Ilia swing her weapon with a precision she hadn't quite had when Allie had first crafted the weapon. "Good to see you down here, firecracker." Dad greeted me, taking a seat that I noticed was also facing the window.

"Yeah, well I wanted to see how Ilia trained. Can't satisfy my curiosity from my room." I replied with a shrug. Not exactly a lie, but I had a feeling it was more than the chameleon's training that had drawn me out of my room.

 _ **And done! It looks like Yang's up and about a bit more than she would have been. And is there something else blooming? Well, next chapter is definitely going to be Tara and RNJR. From there I don't know exactly how chapters will work. Expect rather erratic updates and erratic scene changes. I guess this is the part where I say leave a review telling me what you thought and I'll see you all next time!**_


	37. RNJR in Spring

_**Now for the Team RNJR chapter!**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Tara's POV

I tsked as the damned grimm swung its rock arms at us. Juane slammed into a bolder crotch first, complaining about his lack of weapon. I managed to twist to avoid that and slid back on the ground before slowing to a stop. I considered calling some lightning, but that would only serve to piss it off since it's mostly stone. Think Tara, that's what you're good at. Nora managed to recover before knocking one of the Geist's arms off. It quickly attached one of the fallen trees. "His arm is a tree, his arm is a tree!" Juane shouted, running for his life.

"Big mistake." Ruby chuckled. What was she...oh shit!

"Ruby don't!" I shouted, but she had already fired the flame round, lighting the tree trunk on fire.

Juane looked as panicked as I felt. "Big mistake!" he screamed, running to avoid the now flaming limb. Of course, he tripped and was about to be crushed, but Ren managed to throw one of his blades, nicking the mask. Wait. Why did it fall over? It was barely a scratch and it wasn't like most of the body even mattered to it...That's it! I regrouped with the others to find Juane mumbling to himself before grinning. "Guys, I've got it! We hit it harder." he declared enthusiastically.

"Is that it?" Ren asked skeptically.

"The face, right?" I asked. "I saw it too. That's this thing's weak point. If we can take out it's limbs and get me a clear shot..."

Ruby nodded. "Alright team, let's do this!" she ordered, Nora and Ren giving their own affirmations.

"Ren, left. Ruby, right. Nora, ready to try the new upgrade?" Juane asked, everyone splitting off. I would be most helpful at a distance, charging my spell for when the limbs would be handled.

Ruby and Ren attacked from different angles while Nora charged lightning into Magnhild. This would _not_ be a piece of cake. After a few passes at the geist, Nora called, "Ready!"

"Give it everything you got!" Juane encouraged. Ruby used her semblance as she grabbed Nora, both dashing in a pink-and-red petal blizzard as they smashed through the arms, taking out the legs next. The giest tried to run after that separating itself from the rock that served as its torso, but my lightning bolt killed it quickly.

...

After collecting our reward from the (mayor? elder? something like that, I wasn't paying attention), we headed to the local blacksmith. Juane had left his gear to be upgraded, and it should be done by now. The blacksmith, what I guessed was some kind of bull faunus, placed the new armor on the counter with a thud. "There you go son! It's gonna be heavier than you're used to, but you'll thank me the next time you run into a pair of claws." he said proudly.

"I...don't know what to say." Juane replied in awe.

"Don't have to say anything, just put it on!" the blacksmith laughed. "I'll go get the rest." he added, heading for the back room.

After some encouragement from Nora, Juane smiled sadly as he removed his usual armor. "Guess I was gonna grow out of it eventually." he sighed.

"A sign of progress." Ren replied.

"Yeah, progress." Juane agreed, turning. Oh my gods. That's so cute!

Ruby snickered along with me and Juane looked at us, confused. "What is it?" he asked.

"What is that?" Ruby replied, pointing at the emblem on his hoodie.

"My hoodie? I've always had this!" he replied.

Ruby laughed before shouting, "It's got a cute little bunny rabbit!" before bursting into laughter.

"It's Pumpkin Pete! You know, from the cereal?" Juane explained.

"What did you do? Send in a boxtop to get a prize?" Ruby asked, still laughing.

"Yeah, fifty!" Juane admitted. Ruby continued laughing, and I almost joined her at the kicked puppy look Juane was giving us. I did laugh when she collapsed on the floor, but that was at her so I was safe. I think.

"Well, I suppose we don't have to grow out of everything." Ren said, amused himself.

The blacksmith came back with Crocea Mors. "Can't have a huntsman without his weapon." he declared, slamming it into the counter sheath tip down. "Made all the modifications you asked for." He added, the sheath switching to Juane's shield. "That was some fine metal you got me, accents the white nicely. Where'd you get it?"

Another sad smile. "From a friend." he replied. Guess he didn't want to think about what had happened back at Beacon. Okay, now I feel like I'm forgetting something important. Meh, I'm sure it will come to me.

...

Juane armed and armored, we headed out. Juane was in charge of the map, which I protested since I knew Anima better than any of them but was outvoted, and we continued down the path. The rest were talking while I try to remember what the hell it was I know I forgot. I tried puzzling it out, but smelled the smoke first. "Trouble, we need to go." I called, running down the path with the others close behind.

What we found was a ruined town. The grimm had torn through this place like it was nothing. And the bodies, good gods I can smell the death in the air. I used my powers, softening the earth and causing it to envelope the poor souls who had died here.

"We should burry him." Ruby declared. I looked to a man they had found and began my work again. Once again, the ground softened and enveloped the poor sol who had died. Ruby smiled sadly at me. "Guess being the Spring Maiden comes in handy, huh?" she asked in what I was sure was an attempt to lighten the mood.

"We should keep moving." Juane suggested. "We don't want to be here if the grimm come back." We nodded, leaving the destroyed village behind. It was about five minutes before Juane asked, "Um, who has the map?"

 _ **And done. Not gonna lie, I have no idea when or how I'll be updating from here on in. I probably won't mention RNJR much until Tyrian shows up, and there are some things I want to do with Yang and Ilia that I may end up focusing on unintentionally, plus Neo and the Black Sun not-couple need some screen time. I know I'm not supposed to do this, but I need help deciding. So leave a review telling me what you thought of this, as well as who in Team ANTI I should do the next chapter with. Until next time everyone.**_


	38. Getting back to normal

**_Alright, guess we're going with this one cause, as someone pointed out, Yang didn't exactly get a lot of screen time during this period compared to the others. Which I get, but let's see if we can play with this a bit._** Plus there's the Yang ship I'm doing that I need to set a decent foundation for.

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Ilia's POV

I smiled as I heard a small bark behind me. "Hey Zwei." I greeted, petting the corgi at my feet. Zwei just barked again and panted happily.

"Aww, is the puppy more interesting than me?" Came the teasing voice of Yang, who had been training with me. Nothing big, she only got her Atlas prostetic yesterday, but we figured we should test the waters so to speak.

I laughed at my blonde friend's fake complaint before turning back to her. "Well, if you want attention that badly, I guess I can give it to you." I replied with a smirk, flicking Rainbow Fang into whip mode.

"Girls, lunch!" Tai called suddenly. Damn, and we were just about to start! I swear he times it that way! Well anyway, we all head to the porch, where Tai is grilling what smell like hotdogs and hamburgers with a "Kiss the Cook" apron around his neck. I rolled my eyes as Yang did as the apron asked before sitting on the railing. "So how's the new arm working?" Tai asked, gesturing to his daughter's silver limb. We'd have to fix that later.

"Not bad. I'll be _armed_ and ready in no time. Assuming Ilia doesn't _chameleon_ up with something a bit too much for me to handle." I hid my laugh behind my hand as Tai gave a proud smirk. If she was making puns that bad, Yang was getting back to normal fast. The next sign was when she stopped laughing at her own joke and looked into the trees. "You guys think Ruby is okay out there?"

"She'll be fine." I assured for the umpteenth time. "Not only does she have Juane, Ren, and Nora, she also has the Spring Maiden. Not to mention Allie's Keys are still fully functional, so if she does get seriously hurt, she'll just end up in Sanctuary."

Yang nodded before thinking a minute. "Hey wait, doesn't that mean that-" she began, only to be cut off by Zwei. I cocked my head slightly. What had she been about to...oh yeah. Oh YEAH! That was going to be a surprise. We ate our lunches, chatting and comparing notes about things needing done around the house. I noticed a sparking and sighed. "Yang, I think there's a problem with the connector." I sighed.

"Again? I just got this thing yesterday, there shouldn't be this many problems already!" Yang groaned, reaching to unhook her arm. Damn. I wish I had been faster. She wouldn't be hurt like this if I was paying attention to my surroundings. Tai went to get the toolbox while I gave the offending portion a once-over. I may not have known much about robotics, but being around Allie gave you at least a rudimentary idea. "I think I see the problem. Luckily, it's an easy fix." I sighed, thinking over what tools we would need.

"If you can hold it, I can get the job done." Yang volunteered, her father returning with the tool box. After a few minutes, we had handled the problem and went back to eating. "So Ilia, I was thinking of taking a walk around town after lunch. You wanna come?" the blonde brawler asked me.

"A-are you sure?" I asked, shock and slight embarrassment weaving their way into my tone.

Yang just gave me one of her easygoing smiles. "Yeah. Dad needs some stuff for dinner tonight, and I'm going insane staying here all the time." she replied.

"I'd love to go!" I smiled, eager to finish my meal.

...

"Been a while since I've walked through these woods." Yang muttered, eyeing the trees as we walked. "Did I ever tell you about the hand-to-hand training I used to have Ruby do out here with me?"

"I don't think you have." I replied curiously. She told me about how Ruby had complained about how she wasn't cut out for hand-to-hand, and there was always the option of Crescent Rose. I laughed as I pictured it. Then she told me about the ursa that ambushed them and the subsequent fight. I think she did a little worse than she was letting on, saying she punched it so hard she was surprised it didn't turn inside out, but I kept the thought to myself. "That's one hell of an experience." I commented when she had finished telling the story.

Yang smiled as we got into town. "Yeah, it was." she said, sounding almost sad as she rubbed her prosthetic.

I didn't like that look, so seeing the market, I grabbed her hand and pulled her over. "Come on, let's get the shopping done so we can look around a bit." I suggested. "I wanna see everything there is to see in Patch."

Yang chuckled, allowing me to pull her along. After buying what we needed, she showed me around. Yang took me to the bakery where Ruby always went to get cookies, the tavern where Qrow tended to spend time when he wasn't with the girls, an arcade where I guess Yang hung out a lot, and the café she and her friends always came to after school. As we headed back, I asked, "So, how were you in school? Any better than at Beacon?" I asked teasingly.

Yang scoffed in mock offense. "I'll have you know I hit the books plenty in school." she countered.

"Why do I have the nagging feeling you just made a pun?" I wondered before we both started laughing. Apparently we were loud, since a beowolf appeared from the brush and charged us. I snorted, flicking Rainbow Fang and switching it to whip mode as it wrapped around the grimm's neck and flipped the switch, activating the electric dust and watching it convulse.

 _BANG!_

Guess Yang didn't want to be left out of the fun, seeing as she had shot her gauntlet to increase her power and put a hole in the beowolf's chest, killing it. "Well that was interesting." Yang joked, turning to walk down the path to her house. "Come on, Dad's probably getting worried." she called. I smiled and shook my head before following.

Yang's POV

I yawned as I headed to my room. Today was pretty fun, and Ilia seemed to like my hometown. I smiled as I opened the door, unhooking my arm and putting it on my nightstand. I looked out the window, curious if I'd see that crow that had been hovering outside my window. No bird, but the sun was setting. It would be dark soon. Wait, it was getting dark too fast. I heard the door creak open behind me and I turned to see what Ilia or Dad wanted.

Only it wasn't Ilia or Dad. Adam smirked at me, a hand on his sword. I stumbled back, reaching for my arm and missing, hearing it clatter to the floor. How had he gotten in here? How did he find me? I couldn't breathe. I was scared.

"YANG!" I heard. An arm wrapped around me, and for a moment I thought Adam had pulled me up to cut me down. Then I realized I knew this arm. I turned to see Ilia standing beside me, concern all over her face. "Yang, calm down. It's just us." she told me. What was she talking about? Adam was right there. If she didn't hurry, she would be killed too.

"R-run. You can't beat him." I gasped out. But she didn't run.

She held me tightly. She blocked my view. "Yang, it's just you and me. We're safe." she whispered. I could hear Adam chuckle. "He's not there. The only man in this house is your dad. Now try to breathe. I'm right here." I ignored my panic, trying to get control of my breathing. I couldn't fight Adam and protect Ilia and Dad if I was panicking. I needed to focus. In...out...in...out. "Better?" she asked after about the fifth time. I wondered why Adam hadn't attacked. Pushing Ilia away, I looked around.

But Adam wasn't there. It was just me and Ilia. I was alright. "Damn it. Another attack." I cursed. It happened every now and again, and they were so frustrating. I shouldn't be scared. Not of some psycho with a sword.

"You came out of it faster this time." Ilia said quietly, probably trying to encourage me.

"Yeah, thanks." I replied, colder than I should have as I grabbed my arm and put it back on the nightstand. "I just wish they would stop."

"Understandable." Ilia said, helping me move the piece of furniture back into place. "But you and I both know that will take time. Not even Allie's _that_ immune to trauma." I chuckled at the attempt to lighten the mood. "I guess I should head to bed too." she muttered, turning toward the door.

My chest tightened. I reached for her arm, catching her wrist. She looked back at me, confusion on her face. "I-I don't want to be alone tonight." I stammered.

Ilia smiled and I felt my heart race for a different reason. "Give me five minutes." she replied. I nodded, letting her go. After she got back, changed and ready to pass out, we laid back-to-back on my bed. Slightly comforted by the fact I wasn't alone, I drifted off.

 _ **And done! Well, I guess I'm back for a bit. I've been having a shit-ton going on, so I don't guarantee anything consistent when it comes to updates. So...what do people think? Good? Bad? Somewhere in between? Leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_

 _ **PS. I'm thinking Neo and Blake next, but let me know if you'd rather see Tara and RNJR**_


	39. Downtime: Calm before the storm

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I sighed, twirling my umbrella as I stared at the cloudless night. Menagerie was a nice place, but I was supposed to be taking on assassins, not sitting and watching the family drama between the Belladonnas play out. Granted, most of it was Blake being emo, but still. Okay, I admit I enjoy watching Ghira hassle Sun, but that's about it. I looked at the shattered moon, wondering what Roman and Allie are up to right now. I sighed, wondering if I could get away with a small visit. No, bad idea. According to what the news had been saying, the people at Vale were only just getting back onto their feet from the fall. And Allie was busy with her little pet projects.

"It's a beautiful sight, isn't it?" I heard from behind me. I turned to see Kali smiling at me. I smiled and nodded. I like Kali. She's the kind of person I like to think my mom was.

 _'I'm glad Ilia wanted to stay with Yang. I wouldn't have gotten to see the view if she hadn't.'_ I replied.

"Ah yes, Yang." Kali chuckled. "Is she as punny as Blake and Sun let on?"

 _'Worse.'_ I replied, giggling. _'I swear if it weren't for Allie's adorable cat gimmicks I wouldn't have stayed as sane as I am. She shot them off all the_ time.' we shared a laugh as we continued to gaze out into the night.

"You know, I don't think I've asked about that mysterious girlfriend of yours." the motherly black cat noted.

 _'Since you don't know too much about her, I doubt you have asked.'_ I replied, only half-joking. _'She's the best thing that ever happened to me. And_ Roman.'

"Yes, the criminal overlord who took you in." Kali sighed. "But that isn't much different than these hooligans who destroyed Beacon. At least he has some morals, right?"

 _'Define morals.'_ I joked, chuckling. _'But in all seriousness, as long as both he and I are safe, he doesn't really care what happens to anyone else. Well, at least that's how he was before Allie. Now he's playing by her rules and it's not like he liked killing in the first place. It was more of an occupational hazard.'_

Kali took that in for a second before smiling again. "Well, that's rather interesting. Now I want to know more about this Allie I've been hearing about." she declared. "I wonder what kind of person she is to be able to keep a criminal under her thumb."

 _'She's crazy, and she'll be the first to tell you that.'_ I stated. ' _She doesn't really care about pretty much anyone except her friends, and girlfriend of course. And she's totally badass. I saw her fight a grimm wyvern with just a suit of armor Roman and I helped her build and her sword. And she was winning. Plus she's super smart. She designed and built the robots that tore up most of the grimm during the fall, as well as some other awesome machines. Like this one metal t-rex she calls the Badassasurus.'_ I was off on a tangent, as my "Max Characters" notification informed me before I cleared the message. _'And when she's not building some new robot or making more of those singularity bullets she's so proud of, she's hanging with our friends. Sometimes it's studying, usually it's gaming. Or sometimes giving advice.'_

"Is she good in bed?" Kali asked deadpan. I felt all the blood rush to my face at the bold question. Okay, so it wasn't the bold question, it was the memory of our last time together before I came to this beautiful but crowded island. Gods, the things that woman could do with her fingers. Kali laughed at me, to which I glared at her but soon joined in her laughter.

"Hey, what's the big joke?" Sun asked, hopping onto the second story balcony the two of us were talking on.

"Nothing you should be worrying about yet." Kali replied, smiling at Sun. Only this was one of those sickly sweet warning smiles. Sun held his hands up in surrender before jumping off the railing and looking back the way he had probably come from.

Emerald's POV

Cinder, Mercury and I were headed to the meeting with Salem's other minions. Thinking of the pale woman with the hateful red eyes, I had to suppress a shiver. And she wasn't the only one. That Tyrian guy freaked even Mercury out. Arthur was kinda mean, but not nearly as bad as the scorpion. Or that freaky "Gamer" Crimson Mist. I swear, every time I turn around, he's there, watching. Like he's trying to confirm something... or judging.

"Hey, we're here. Head out of the clouds time." Merc muttered, elbowing me. I snapped out of my revere to glare at the annoying assassin before following Cinder inside. Looked like everyone was there. Tyrian grinned, Arthur scoffed, Hazel nodded in greeting(to which I nodded back. I swear he's the only decent guy in this place), and Salem glared ahead as Cinder took her seat. I scanned the room, looking for our other conspirator.

"Is Crimson running late?" I asked.

"He's running down a lead for me." Salem answered coldly, glaring at me. I flinched under her gaze, resisting the urge to hide behind my mistress. She would scold me for being so cowardly, I'm sure of it.

The meeting was rather tame, and Cinder didn't even burst into one of her coughing fits until afterward, when we were all back in front of her door. I held onto her when she stumbled, not even thinking until after the fit had passed. I flinched away, but Cinder just gave me a small smile. Mercury left, but as I turned to follow him, Cinder grabbed my hand. "Cinder?" I asked.

She pulled me into her room, the door clicking shut behind us. "Thank you, Emerald." she rasped.

"Cinder, please. You know I love serving you." I replied almost automatically. Cinder just smiled, pulling me over to the bed before gesturing for me to sit. I obeyed, and I heard a drawer slide open. It wasn't a second later that she began brushing my hair. I sighed, smiling as she ran the brush through my mint-green tresses. She hadn't done this since Mercury joined us. I sat there, and enjoyed the moment.

Blake's POV

I sighed as I looked around the house. I was enjoying a stroll when I ended up in Mom's garden. I smiled, remembering how I would help tend it every now and again. To my surprise, I found Neo sitting in a chair, looking over the vegetables. "Hey, enjoying the view?" I asked.

Neo smirked at me. ' _Meh, it's got nothing Allie's garden in the Third Ring. But it is rather impressive. I bet Roman would have liked it.'_

"Can't you just take some pictures? Show him next time you see him?" I wondered. Neo looked at me for a second, then facepalmed before I heard some clicking. I giggled at the girl's antics, taking a seat next to her. "So, how's it going for you?"

 _'How do you mean?'_

"Oh, you know. Beacon falling, being away from Allie, from Roman." I explained. "You know how I'm handling it. I was gonna come here before Allie told me about you-know-what."

Neo nodded. ' _It's rough. This is the longest I've gone without being around either of them since we met. Still scares me sometimes, just how close the three of us have gotten in our own ways.'_

"I can imagine." I sighed. "You're used to being on your own, then before you know it you actually matter to someone."

 _'And you worry that if you do something wrong, you'll screw up so bad that they won't want you around.'_ Neo continued. I nodded. ' _What a pair we make, eh? Two outlaws scared of our own damned friendships.'_

We shared a laugh at that, and after a while we fell into a comfortable silence. Well, as silent as Menagerie got at 2;30 in the afternoon. "You know, I just realized something." I said after a while. Neo looked at me. "I don't really know all that much about you. And Allie isn't here to tear my head off if I ask the wrong question, so mind if I ask a few?"

Neo shrugged, and I figured that was as much of an agreement as I would get. Then she started typing. _'How about making a game of it? You ask me a question, I ask you one, and we go back and forth until we can't think of anymore questions?'_

"That Gamer thing is rubbing off on you." I joked. Neo chuckled. I thought for a moment, and came up with a question I had been curious about for a while now. "How did you and Roman meet?"

I think Neo would have done a spit-take if she was drinking anything. _'Ask the tough questions first, why don't you?'_ she huffed. _'I think I was six at the time. I was the only survivor of a grimm attack on a town just outside of Vale. I had run to the city, but no one wanted the mute orphan with the freaky eyes.'_ I studied Neo's face as she typed. This was pretty hard for her. I kinda felt guilty for asking. ' _It was a couple months later that I met Roman. I had been experimenting with my newly acquired Semblance to steal a wallet so I could have some cash to get something to eat for the first time in a week. I wasn't as good as I am now, so the guy I was trying to pickpocket caught onto me. I tried making him think I was going one way while I went the other. I didn't account for how fast he was compared to how fast I was.'_

"He caught you." Blake guessed.

Neo nodded. _'And after he took the wallet, he tried to hit me. Then I heard this male voice call out for me. Roman appeared, grabbing the guy's arm and apologizing for his "daughter's" behavior, and that I'd get a scolding when I got home. The guy grumbled and left. Roman turned to me with a Neapolitan cone in his hand, and he smiled at me. But he wasn't the first to act nice, so I was on guard. He handled it well, giving me his ice cream and talking in a soft voice, kinda like a mom trying to convince her kid they weren't in trouble."_ I nodded, knowing exactly how that felt. ' _Then when he realized I couldn't talk, he chuckled and told me, "Well, that's alright. If you ask me too many people talk that really shouldn't." I think that was the first time in a while I had laughed. Then he took my hand, and led me to his home. After a while, it was OUR home. And that's how little Neo Politan became the ward of the notorious Roman Torchwick.'_

"That's actually really sweet." I said, smiling. I guess there was more to Torchwick than just the annoying criminal mastermind. After all, he took in a lost and mute little girl out of the goodness of his heart. Or maybe because he saw some potential, but you can just look at their interactions to see how much they trust each other.

' _My turn.'_ Neo declared, a familiar smirk of mischief on her face. ' _So, are you straight or bi?"_

I blushed at the somewhat vulgar question, but I guess I should have expected it. This was Neo after all. "I'm bi." I admitted quietly. Neo nodded, accepting my answer. I asked my question next. "Is Neo your birth name, or?"

' _Roman named me.'_ she replied. ' _He figured since I had a new life with him, "Neo" would fit well. At least that's what he told me. I think it had more to do with the ice cream he gave me that first day we met.'_

We continued for a while, a few hours actually until Mom called us in for dinner. I smiled as I walked with Neo, a new understanding of the ice cream themed girl floating in my mind.

 _ **And done! Yeah, mostly fluff this time around. And if you want the questions Neo and Blake asked, let me know, I'll file it under "Oneshots to write." So, good? Bad? Somewhere in between? Leave a review with your thoughts, no flames not that I've had many of those, and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	40. A peak at the Black Cat

_**Starting in Sanctuary, ooh! Yeah, that was a pathetic opening. Anyway, short one just to spy in on Allie's activities while her team is spread across Remnant.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I sighed as I put down my hex wrench. "I need a break." I decided, grabbing my rag and wiping myself off. I had been almost non-stop since the Fall, and I was nowhere _near_ ready for Mistral. Maybe I should have [REDACTED] help me? She needs some exercise. Lord knows she needs to build up some muscles again after how long she's been bedridden. I looked at my quest description, sighing.

 **Mistral Preparations**

 **Get [REDACTED though let's face it, everyone knows by now] back online ()**

 **Rehabilitate [REDACTED but the hints are there] ()**

 **Acquire the Relic of Knowledge before Cinder Fall ()**

I sighed. This was going to be harder than I thought. "I miss Neo." I groaned, collapsing into one of the couches in the screen room in HQ.

"And I'm sure she misses you." came the annoyed but still polite voice beside me. I glared at it's owner. "Don't give me that. You're not the only one with loved ones you want to get back to."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I sighed before smirking. "All three of us are gonna have a wild night when our partners are in our arms again." I chuckled, watching my friend's face turn as red as Ruby's cloak.

...

About an hour later, my break was over, and I went to Zed's to check on my newest patient. "So, this is a thing." I chuckled, sitting next to one of the beds. "Glad I gave you that 'weird hunk of rock' yet?" I teased.

"Shut up." Sienna groaned. "I envy [REDACTED]"

"Actually, she was even whinier than you've been so far." I replied. "But according to the Loaders, you still need a few days before you can be up and about. Just sit tight."

"Anyone ever told you not to cage a tiger?" Sienna snapped back. I chuckled before standing.

"One feline to another, I really wish I could make this go faster. But even I can't do everything." I said before hearing my scroll ring. "You've reached the cat goddess of awesome, speak and make your wishes known." I greeted.

"Nice to talk to you too, kitten." Roman's dry response came through. "I called to let you know that Team CFVY made it safely to Vacuo, as requested. And I have that bullhead ready for when you need to get to Atlas. I heard about the borders closing, so I managed to get my hands on one of the Atlas ships and fixed it up."

"You added the singularity bullets to the machine guns, didn't you?" I asked dryly, remembering some of my special bullets had vanished...again.

"They turn any firearm into a black hole gun! How could I resist?" Roman defended.

"You're lucky you're Neo's dad." I muttered, pinching the bridge of my nose.

"Speaking of which, how is she?" Roman asked, switching to what Neo and I had dubbed "Daddy Mode."

"According to what her last texts said, she's doing fine, if a bit bored." I replied. "Don't worry. Neo will be fine in Menagerie, she's Neo." Roman and I shared a laugh before I checked the time. "I've got to get back to work. Humpty Dumpty isn't going to put herself back together after all."

"Talk to ya later, kitten." Roman replied, disconnecting the call. I made my way through town to the Garage. Time to get back to work.

 _ **And done! Like I said, short one. So, what did people think? Good? Bad? Anyone care to guess who's there with Allie? I think it's as obvious as Humpty Dumpty at this point, but hey, maybe I'm getting better at this whole "subtle" thing. Anyway, leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	41. Tyrian's Attack

_**Holy shit, over 48000 views. That's...daunting. I really need to stop looking at the traffic graph, it just scares me with how many people read this thing that I threw together on a whim. Anyway, I was re-watching the Tyrian fight, and it inspired me so...**_

 _ **Also, random side note, anyone here play Blazblue Cross Tag Battle? Well...Neo's coming to the game! AHHHH! Anyway.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

The trek toward Mistral was rather boring. Barring a few grimm attacks that the five of us handled easily, the worst thing was the rock in my back at night. You know what I mean. That one rock that's in _just_ the right place to keep you up? Yeah. Anyway, we were walking through yet another ruined town when Ren held out his hand, everyone stopping. I closed my eyes, focusing. Someone was approaching...fast. Ren and I grabbed our weapons, everyone else following suit. A figure backflipped into the square. Shit. "Keep your distance!" I warned, firing rounds from Silico Shot which he nimbly dodged. Well shit.

He went for Ren first, and the two engaged in a melee which the man knocked Ren away from as he rushed Ruby. Converting Silico to spear mode as he knocked Ruby on her butt, I charged as he leaped onto Juane's shield, giving him a Joker smile before dodging my attack and leaping into the wall of a rather high building. Oh hell no, no one uses my spear as a springboard!

"We're not looking for a fight!" Juane called. I rolled my eyes. Clearly he was.

"Who are you?" Ren demanded. My hand tightened around my weapon as I flanked Ruby.

The man jumped down. "Who I am matters not to you," he declared, pointing at Ren, "Or you," he added, pointing to Nora, "Or...well, you do interest me." he admitted, pointing to Juane, who looked understandably uncomfortable. "No, I only matter to the two of you." he declared, pointing at Ruby and me.

"Us?" Ruby squeaked. KAWAII!

The man laughed, more like maniacally cackled, while gripping his sides. "Oh, you haven't the slightest clue, do you? Oh, how exciting this must be." Okay, this guy was starting to annoy me.

Ruby glared at the man and demanded, "What do you want?"

The man gasped, "Oh, the rose has thorns. My little flower, I'm here to whisk you and the bandit girl away with me."

Nora stepped between us. "And what if they don't want to go with you?" she questioned, brandishing Magnhild.

His grin fell. "Well, then I'll take them."

Juane joined Nora. "We're not going to let you do that." he declared.

The man took a deep breath. "Good." he grinned, rushing Juane. Having anticipated this, I met his blow before twirling Silico Shot, forcing him back. He dodged the lightning bolt I summoned next and rushed me with those wing-like blades on his arms. He eventually go the upper hand on me, kicking me to the ground before rushing Nora. I saw Ruby take aim directly behind our assailant. I grinned, calling my powers again. Both my lightning bolt and Ruby's shock bullet hit Nora.

The assailant laughed. "Well, if that isn't ironic." he said. Everyone just waited, smiling. He looked confused until he took notice of the very juiced up Nora rushing him, bringing her hammer down. There was a loud collision, and I thought she had gotten him...right until I saw the damned scorpion tail. "Surprise!" he mocked, pushing Nora away before backflipping onto another roof. That guy has some legs.

"He's a faunus." Captain obvious everyone.

"What is this about? The White Fang? Roman and Neo?" Ruby demanded.

"Plastic soldiers and inconsequential traitors." he dismissed. "My heart and body belong only to our goddess."

"He's one of Salem's." I muttered angrily, gathering my powers.

"The maiden knows her stuff!" he mocked, charging us again. I'd like to say with five of us we beat him, but this guy was nothing if not experienced. He had us all on our asses pretty fast, with his stinger poised to take me and Ruby out. And the worst part was he was laughing. This sicko was enjoying tormenting us.

The stinger came down, and there was the sharp clang of striking metal. I looked up and saw a dusty old crow. Ruby and I smiled at him, he smiled back. "Hey." he greeted softly.

The man retracted his stinger and Qrow turned. "As I live and breathe, Qrow Brawnwen. A true huntsman has entered the fray." he said with a bow.

Qrow shot a questioning glance at his niece, who was helping me stand. "I don't know, this guy's weird." Ruby replied.

He turned back to the faunus. "Look pal, I'm not sure who you are, but you need to leave my niece alone."

The scorpion chuckled. "Why friend, my name is Tyrian. And I am afraid that is not possible. My assignment from Her Grace was to retrieve those girls, so that is what I must do. One does not upset the queen."

"Queen?" Ruby asked.

"Salem." Qrow and I hissed at the same time. Ruby's eyes widened, her grip tightening on her own weapon.

"I think we've had enough talk, don't you?" Tyrian asked, getting into a pouncing stance.

"You took the words right out of my-" Tyrian lunged, and a deadly dance began. I switched Silico Shot to shotgun mode, taking careful aim as they fought. Qrow brought down his bastard sword, which Tyrian blocked. Okay, did the shockwave just slice off a portion of that building? And Tyrian's weapons are also machine pistols. Sure, why not? Qrow blocked the bullets, and I fired, trying to get Tyrian's attention as Ren and Nora tried to engage the crazy scorpion.

"Get back you two!" I ordered. But Tyrian had already taken notice of them, attacking them both until Qrow intervened.

"Don't come closer." he ordered, sounding more than a little strained.

Ruby glared at the fighting pair. "Fine." she agreed, running toward the buildings. I smirked. Leave it to Ruby to find a way to keep out of Qrow's range and still in the fight. She was trying to take aim, but the adults were moving too fast.

I called my powers as the duel continued, intent on pinning the scorpion down so Ruby could get him. While I was, Qrow's sword was flung into a wall. My lightning struck. Ruby's shots were fired. Tyrian blocked or dodged every one. Then Qrow started just punching his opponent in the face, decking the man with a sparta kick before scoffing as he went to retrieve his weapon. As soon as his hand made contact, Tyrian pounced, trying to drive his blades and stinger into the old man. Qrow dodged, his feet planted on the wall his sword was impaled in as it began to change form.

The duel continued on the rooftop until Tyrian fell into one for the ruined houses, pulling Qrow with him. Ruby left her sniping perch, rushing to her uncle's aid. I was hot on her tail to make sure she didn't get herself poisoned. Qrow came crashing out, showing some real ingenuity as he threw his sword and used it to basically brace against as he went flying. But his aura was flickering. Not good. I converted Silico to spear mode again as Tyrian reappeared. Ruby was the one to parry the blow though as I rushed the scorpion for a counterattack. Which Tyrian sidestepped.

"Ruby! Tara!" Juane called in worry.

"Do you wish to be taken?" Tyrian mocked.

"No, but I won't stand by and watch someone get hurt." Ruby snarled in reply.

"I'm just covering her dumb ass." I admitted, earning me a glare from the reaper as the two of us attacked, Qrow right behind. Tyrian used his blades and tail to block us all as he pushed me and Qrow back, engaging Ruby first. Quickly overwhelming her, Qrow and I rushed in, forcing the scorpion back.

"Ruby! What did I say? Get back!" Qrow ordered, turning to me. "You too!"

"This is my fight too!" Ruby declared, trying to swing around and take out Tyrian's legs. Not bad, but too slow.

"And I've got a counter to you." I added, pulling the trigger on my weapon's melee form and firing a shot into Tyrian's face, catching him off guard. Unfortunately, that also gave him the chance to disengage us and dropkick Ruby toward the ruined house who's roof was loosing a rather large wooden beam. Qrow acted, slicing the thing in half and making sure it missed his niece. My turn. Tyrian tried to stab Qrow, but I was lucky enough to be able to deflect it, smirking as Ruby put her scythe blade against Tyrian's tail.

BANG

Tyrian screamed in pain as his stinger fell to the ground. "You bitch!" he snarled. Soon, JNR joined us, glaring down the scorpion. "She'll forgive you." he muttered. Then the guy ran with his tail between his legs.

I turned to Qrow. "Did he get you?" I asked. Qrow shook his head. Then the flurry of questions began.

"Who was that guy?"

"How did you get here?"

"Why are people trying to kidnap Ruby and Tara?"

Ruby put a hand up, silencing our friends. "Uncle Qrow, what's going on?" she asked.

Qrow smiled dryly. "It's your favorite fairy tale, sweetheart." he replied, hefting his sword. I sighed, seeing a long conversation in our future.

 _ **And done! Well, what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Somewhere in betwee- wait a second. This is Qrow's first appearance in my fic! I feel so ashamed! Well, can't do much about it now. Anyway, leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_

 _ **Also, Allie won't be appearing again until people start reaching Mistral. Next chapter's probably gonna be an Yang &Ilia chapter with some Salem court thrown in toward the end. You've all been warned.**_


	42. Couldn't think of a good title :P

_**Splitting it a bit, Ilia's POV to start, Yang's later on. And a bit of Tara's. I want to get to Mistral soon.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I sat in the grass, smiling and stroking Zwei's head while watching Yang and Tai spar. I whistled in appreciation when Yang punched with her prosthetic as Tai practically went flying back, nursing his arm. "That thing packs a punch." he complained.

I giggled at the bad pun while Yang rolled her eyes. "I get it, you want to make sure I can still fight." she replied, knocking her fists together. "I think I'm doing fine."

"You're getting close." Tai admitted.

"He's right, you're still brute-forcing your way through it." I added. Yang looked like she was about to protest, but I cut her off. "You can't win all your fights like that. Think about how Neo kicked your ass." I slowly slid my hand toward Rainbow Fang. "And you weren't as off balance as you are now." I added.

"I'm not off balance!" Yang protested, examining her arm. "I'm actually surprised. I thought it would feel like this weight, but it feels...natural." she said with a smile. "They did a really good job with this." Tai threw a punch, and I sighed as I took my hand off of my sword's hilt. Jerk beat me to the punch. Okay, those two are rubbing off on me.

The two traded blows until they ended up in an elbow lock. "We didn't mean your actual balance." he replied smugly, tripping his daughter before walking over to where I was holding out a towel. "Although that could use some work too."

"Meaning?" Yang questioned, still on her back.

I took this one. "Think back to the fights during the Festival."

"Let me guess, sloppy?" Yang asked dryly.

Tai shook his head. "No, you were predictable, and stubborn, and a bit boneheaded." Yang sat up and I took over teaching time again.

"You realize you relied on your semblance on every match except the qualifying one?" I pointed out.

"So what?" the blonde girl huffed. "How is using my semblance different from anyone else using theirs?"

"Not everyone's semblance is a temper tantrum, hot stuff." I sighed. "It's good if you're in a bind, but what happens if you miss? If your opponent is still stronger? You end up weak and tired." I pressed. Yang looked at her arm, and I could see the pain in her posture.

Tai took over. "You've always been one to burn brighter than anyone else, whether it's with your smile or... well I remember your first haircut." he teased, earning a playful shove from his daughter. That made me curious, as I knew how protective my crush was over her hair. Yeah, I admit it, I have a crush on Yang. Don't tease me.

I took over again. "But a level head can save your life. Trust me, I know." I told her, "Your semblance is a grand fall back, but you can't rely on it. Look at how our friends always fight. Allie barely relies on her Gamer powers. Neo only uses her illusions when she can't evade otherwise. Even Ruby doesn't go Petal Blizzard unless absolutely necessary." Yang didn't look at me, but I could see the tenseness in her shoulders. "We all know none of our semblances can always save us. And you know it better than the rest of us." I finished, glancing at the prosthetic.

Tai sighed. "You have your mother's stubbornness, that's for sure." he declared.

I actually flinched, knowing how sore a subject that was for both the blondes I had been staying with these past few weeks. "Oh, so _now_ we can talk about her?" Yang questioned, clearly annoyed.

"Well, as I have been informed, you're an adult now, remember?" Tai replied.

"Well, sorry I remind you of her." Yang huffed.

"Don't be." Tai replied. "Raven was great in so many ways." he admitted. "Her strength, her ambition, her dedication to whatever cause she thought was worth fighting for." I snorted. I certainly didn't get that impression when I met the bandit leader who I knew was watching from a branch about five hundred meters behind us. She was clever, perching with a few other black birds in the trees, but I recognized a humanoid aura when I see it. At least, I do now.

Tai was still talking. "Your mother was a complicated woman." he was saying. Guess we were still on that subject. "Like everybody, she had her faults, but those faults are what tore our team apart." I shot a skeptical glance at the male Xiao Long. That seemed pretty harsh. "And it did a number on our family." he was still talking. Having been curious about Raven before she became...whatever she was now, I continued to listen. "You both always act like the easiest way to tackle an obstical is straight through it."

I took over then. "But as Neo, Allie, Roman, and I can vouch for, as well as probably Ren, if you take a little more time to look, there's also a way around it." I said, stepping forward. "How do you think I can still beat you in a spar?" I taunted, a hand on Rainbow Fang again. "Come on, my turn."

Yang smirked at me, standing while Tai backed off. I drew my weapon, swinging as Yang rushed me. She dodged the attack by ducking under it, sliding and coming at me again. I flicked Rainbow Fang into whip mode, but she used her prosthetic to catch the weapon, wrapping it around her metal arm. "See? Now you're using your head instead of-" I praised. That was when I was yanked rather abruptly off my feet and kinda landed...directly between Yang's boobs. Turning pink, I jumped back and sheathed my weapon.

Yang blushed as well, rubbing her head sheepishly. "S-sorry about that." she said, not able to meet my gaze. Not that I could meet hers either.

"N-no problem." I replied, quickly following Tai.

Yang's POV

I finished painting my prosthetic in my colors, putting the spray can down and admiring my work. "Not bad at all." I heard from behind me. I turned to my shadow and smiled. "Does that mean you're ready to head out?" Ilia asked, leaning against the door frame.

"I was ready last week. It was you who insisted I wait until now." I pointed out with a smirk. "Not that I'm complaining. I did enjoy visiting that newly opened pastry shop with you the other day." To her credit, she didn't blush like I thought she would. Still a fun day. Picking up my arm and attaching it to the connector, I looked at Bumblebee. "You sure she's gonna be in Mistral?" I asked.

"Can't say for sure. We're ahead of schedule, so it's possible she hasn't even made it to Kuroyuri yet." she replied.

"Still can't believe Ren and Nora grew up in a villiage called 'Black Lesbians.'" I muttered, chuckling while Ilia giggled.

"Still don't think many people noticed at first." she replied. After a second, she asked, "We just leaving a note? Or are we actually saying goodbye?"

"We'll see how it plays out." I replied. We continued discussing travel plans until we both had to turn in for the night.

Tara's POV

Qrow had finished telling everyone about the relics, as well as the vaults they were locked in. Everyone but he and I were asleep. The old man looked at me as I tended the fire. "So what did you mean you had a counter for my semblance?" he asked.

"Mine is pretty much the opposite." I replied easily. "Honestly, I didn't see how being lucky would benefit me in the field until today. Sure, I could accidentally hit the occasional insta-kill spots, but that was pretty much the extent. Hell, I don't even know how exactly it works. Sometimes it's on, other times it's not."

"So a good luck charm." Qrow guessed. I nodded. "So what exactly is your boss' plan?"

"Can't say I know for sure. My orders were to get everyone to Mistral alive, and get the relic." I replied. "Though, if I were to guess, I'd say Allie intends to steal it from under everyone's noses and slip it into the Inner Sanctum. She made the place practically impregnable, so it would be safer there than anywhere else." I smirked as I continued to tend the fire. "Of course, that's just me spitballing. Who knows what goes on in the head of the Black Cat of Beacon?"

"I can think of someone." Ruby said, sitting up.

"Didn't think you were still up, sweetheart." Qrow said apologetically, like he thought we had woken her up.

"Can't sleep. Kinda overloaded with information." Ruby admitted, coming to sit between us.

"How do you think I felt when I heard it the first time?" I replied. It wasn't a lie, I had been scared out of my mind when I had discovered what it meant to have my powers. Ruby chuckled nervously. After a few minutes sitting in silence, I spoke again. "We'll end up in Kuroyuri soon." I informed, going over my mental map.

"Wouldn't going through the mountains be faster?" Qrow asked.

"If you can fly." I replied. "Not all of us have that luxury." Ruby suppressed a giggle at that. "The problem is what's waiting there." I muttered, going over everything I knew about Nuckelavees. Seriously strong, more of a fusion between grimm than a single monster, loud, earsplitting shriek, long and very dangerous arms that can stretch to an unknown length. This wasn't going to be easy, but I do have the secondary weapon Allie loaned me "In case of emergency." Maybe I should just use that from here? No, I don't know exactly where the village is from here, and I don't know if there are any people in the fourteen mile kill zone.

"We're in for a long day tomorrow, aren't we?" Ruby asked. I didn't answer her.

 _ **And done! Well, I'm pretty sure you can guess what's going to happen next chapter. Also, it's probably going to be the last chapter before everyone gets to Mistral. Like I said, I want to get there ASAP since I know people are anxiously awaiting the return of certain individuals. So, leave a review and I'll see everyone next time! whenever that is**_


	43. The true game begins

_**Starting in Menagerie, proceeding to Kuroyuri, finishing up at Patch...or maybe Sanctuary, all with...noticeable divergences from cannon.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Neo's POV

I sighed, hoping for and dreading some action tonight. Other than some sparing with the Monkey King(I kicked his ass), and a run-in with some bat dude who tried to jump Blake, there had been almost nothing to do. Well, nothing I could do. I don't do the whole "self relfection help" Sun's been doing with Blake well, so I basically let them do their thing while I checked out the 2/3 of untamed wilderness Menagerie boasted. Some grimm, some rather large forest creatures, but mostly just vines and dissapointment. I sighed again, wondering for the umpteenth time what my kittne was up to. Probably working on Humpty Dumpty.

I heard a window opening. Sounded like one near me. Probably Sun, he seemed to like more unconventional methods of entry, but I figured Blake would make him take the front door. Grabbing my umbrella, I went to greet him, only to hear multiple footsteps. Too many to be my friends. I ducked behind a pillar, seeing multiple White Fang grunts sneaking into the house. I grinned, clicking my blade into action. This was going to be fun.

I slipped into the shadows around the room, grinning wider as I was quiet enough not to draw the attention of the invaders. "We're being watched." A fox girl suddenly declared, sniffing the air. Huh, forgot that was a thing. Oh well! I dashed from cover, cutting the nearest faunus across the back of his knees and causing him to drop, knocking over a pile of plates that were going to be taken from-after some inspection we were in the dining room to the kitchen. Of course the clattering brought the guards, and the room decended into chaos. My element. My grin grew. Looks like I'm gonna have _lots of fun._

Blake's POV

Sun and I were heading home after trying to recruit some of the faunus on the island to save Mistral from sharing the same fate as Beacon, with little success. Not that I could blame them. For now, they were safe in their little corner of the world. But what they couldn't see was that it wasn't nearly as safe as they thought. "Um, Blake, was your dad hosting a barbeque?" Sun asked me, his gaze on the sky.

"No, why?" I asked, looking where he was. I saw the smoke in the direction of my house. "Mom, Dad!" I gasped, breaking into a run. I didn't even bother turning to see if Sun was following me.

...

The front door guards were knocked out, and the sounds of fighting were coming from inside. Forcing the door open, I saw a sea of White Fang bodies and smirked. They hadn't expected Neo. Glad the mini psycho was on our side, I drew Gambol Shroud and Sun flicked his weapons into their staff form as we proceeded past the bodies and toward the sounds of the fighting. We entered the dining room, where we found more of Neo's handiwork and a few of the house guards.

"Wow, she's not taking prisoners." Sun remarked, looking at the mountain the girl in question had left behind.

"She only needs one." I replied with a shrug. I heard the click of a gun and shoved Sun to the floor, leaping out of the way just as shots wizzed through where our heads had been a second before. "Who's there?"

I heard a laugh. "Well well, it seems our separate team wasn't able to catch up to you in time." I heard one of the Albain brothers mock. "It seems we will have to deliver you to High Leader Adam ourselves."

"You're welcome to try." I snapped back, loading a fire clip into my gun.

"I'm with you." Sun added, disconnecting his staff into Ruyi Bang and Jingu Bang as he surveyed the room.

Corsac lunged out with his dagger, aiming for me, but I saw him coming easily and blocked his attack. Fennec came next, attacking Sun in a similar way to his brother. And with that our battle began.

Neo's POV

That's gonna be rough to get out of the carpet. I slip my blade out of the throat of a deer faunus who had tried to chop me in half with his ax before turning to see a bear coming for me. I grinned wider, my face starting to hurt as my bloodlust took over. Suddenly there were multiple bangs. "Get out of my house!" Kali screamed, taking out a good deal of the remaining invaders while Ghira pounced on a group that had slipped by my kill zone. Guess I know where Blake got her badassery. That's a word now. Anyway, I looked at the bear approaching me as my eyes switched colors and I dodged out of the way of a swing from his greatsword. That thing might be as big as Yatsu's. It would certainly hurt if it hit me. Good thing I never get hit. Dodging around another swing, I smacked him a few times with my umbrella before sparta kicking him back, bowing to taunt him. It worked, his next attack was even more telegraphed than the first two, and I stabbed him in multiple places before backing off and parrying a swing I couldn't dodge in time, and stabbed him in the knee, causing his throat to fall my range. I knocked the hook of my umbrella into his throat, causing him to gag and choke, effectively neutralizing him.

I surveyed the area for a new opponent, but the Belladonna parents had pretty much mopped up here. I sighed, looks like the fun's over. Then I heard some clashing in the dining room. But I had already...cleared that area. Who could have-? Blake and Sun! Those fox brothers are still unaccounted for! Clicking my blace back into my umbrella, I took off down the hall with Ghira close behind.

Blake's POV

Those two were tough, I had to give them that. They knew they couldn't win in a straight melee, so they used Neo's handiwork to hide themselves. It kinda reminded me of walking through Forever Fall. You know the grimm are nearby, but you have no idea when they'll attack. Sun fired two shots, and I turned to see he had been attacked by Corsac again. "You shouldn't let your guard down so easily." came a soft voice from behind me, just before a loud BANG that my aura took, if only barely. Fennec laughed as he aimed his dagger at me. "Don't worry, I'll make sure not to hit anything vital." he mocked, kicking Gambol Shroud away. I set my jaw, trying to think of a way out of this.

Then Fennec grew a chest spike. A flash of brown and pink from behind him, and I knew Neo had saved my ass. Getting to my feet and grabbing my weapon, I loaded a shock clip. "Thanks Neo, I owe you one." I said as I took aim, firing a stun round at Corsac, who convulsed before falling to the floor, unconscious.

...

There was a crowd outside as White Fang members were carted off, not that there were many, and as my house burned. I looked out at everyone, took a deep breathe, and went to talk to them. I heard Dad call to me, but Mom stopped him from coming to me. I took another deep breath. "Humans didn't do this." I shouted, catching everyone's attention. "We did this. _Faunus_. We did this to ourselves." I paused, letting those words sink in. "We're just as capable of hate and violence as the humans, but I don't think any of us would jump at the chance to point that out. So why are we letting Adam do it for us?" I demanded. No one answered, so I continued. "By doing nothing, and staying silent, we let others speak and act in our place. And if we're not proud of the choices they make, then we have no one to blame but ourselves. _This_ is the message Adam Taurus will bring to the world if no one stops him. But we can stop him! You have to understand you're all looking for simple answers to a very complicated problem. And I can't give that to you." I had to measure my tone as I admitted, "I don't know how to make hate go away. I don't. But I know that this kind of violence is _not_ the solution. I understand that asking you to leave your homes and protect Haven Academy is asking you to put your lives at risk, but that's what at stake. So I'm going, and I'll stand by myself if I have to."

I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked to see Neo smiling her kind smile at me. ' _I'm with you, Blake.'_ her scroll read.

"Isn't that Roman Torchwick's daughter?" Someone asked.

"The psychopath who killed thousands of humans and faunus in Vale?" another asked. Some of the guards approached her, but I glared at them.

"Are you really going to look past what she's done?" one guard demanded.

"Yes." I replied. Everything escalated from there. At the end of it, I went to talk to my parents about what we would need in the next few weeks.

Neo's POV

I sent a text to Allie. _The faunus are on board. We're ready for the supplies._ Seeing the text sent, I followed Blake inside.

Tara's POV

We walked down the path to Kuroyuri. Ren and Nora had been against it, but when I argued that the recent rainy weather had most likely caused mudslides making the mountains too risky, they relented. And if someone pointed out I may have had something to do with said weather, I don't know what they're talking about. We entered the ruined town, and made it to the town square before hearing the telltale sound of a large creature approaching. Everyone drew their weapons, ready for anything that came our way.

A large arm crashed through one of the buildings, knocking us all back. I glared into the dust, seeing the red eyes of the nuckelavee's horse as it approached. I could feel the hatred radiating from Ren as the human portion straitened out and let out a blood-curdling screech. It picked out Qrow first, throwing its hand toward the huntsman, who jumped out of the way only to be hit in the head with the debris from the attack. Qrow stumbled, and the creature attacked again, this time bouncing off of Juane's shield as the blonde boy got between the grimm and huntsman. The nuckelavee charged the two.

I gathered my power to slow the thing down with a wind gust, but Ren reacted first, pressing his hand to the ground and activating his own semblance. Qrow and Juane turned gray, and the grimm stopped, as if it had lost track of its prey. "Get out of there!" Ren yelled. The two split off, and I started shooting with Silico Shot, catching the grimm's attention. Nora backed me up with grenade shots from Magnhild and the nuckelavee came after us. Everyone started shooting, not doing much damage.

It slammed Ruby into the ground when she tried to jump and fire, following it up with knocking me into a building and Nora into the stone square. Damn that hurt! Converting Silico to spear mode, I rushed as Ren drew its attention, shooting it with Storm Flower before it grabbed him. "Guys! Keep moving! Go in a circle!" Juane yelled.

Made sense. If we kept running, it couldn't hit us as easily. I switched back to shotgun mode, firing rounds as we all surrounded it. Damn we were in trouble. Juane sliced the horse's leg, but that only seemed to annoy it as it kicked him away. Then the blonde strategist surprised me as he sheathed Crocea Mors. "What are you doing?" I heard Ruby ask. Then Juane's shield came off and popped out some blade attachments, for all intents and purposes turning it into a bastard sword. Nice. We continued shooting while Juane rushed and slashed the horse's flank, this time actually hurting it as the grimm focused on Juane. Guess he drew the agro. Then the damned thing got wise and started spinning its arms in a circle. Oh yeah, nuckelavees can adapt to a battle better than most grimm. Getting back to my feet and glaring at the grimm, I watched as the human portion's back spines began to grow and it screeched again.

Ren used a nearby tree to get higher ground and started shooting, only to get caught between its arm and a building. "Ruby!" I heard Nora yell. I was impressed that Ruby managed to propel the ginger hammer wielder into the path of the other hand, knocking the fatal attack off course and putting Nora just a bit above Ren. I swear I heard her say, "Stop looking." as she pulled her skirt down. Was now really the time to worry about that? Firing to get the beast's attention, trying to make it let my friends go and focus on me as I hit it with a lightning bolt. That really made it mad, but it threw Nora into the ground, breaking her aura.

Qrow finally recovered, slashing the flank of the horse with Juane and causing it to let Ren go. But the usually stoic ninja rushed right in with a battle cry, doing the same as he was knocked back.

"What the hell is he doing?" I muttered.

"Ren, knock it off!" Juane ordered, sounding rather exasperated. Ren didn't listen as he was grabbed and slammed into the gournd, making him lose his grip on his weapons before getting thrown to Nora's side., hos aura breaking too. Not good. I threw a wind gust to get its attention, then a water blast to piss it off more. Now would be a _really_ good time for my semblance to kick in. Ruby started taking shots, Qrow and I following suit to keep its attention. I lost track of the not-couple for a while, but I wasn't worried, especially when they showed up a few seconds later.

Ren looked a lot calmer, that was good. "Ren." Ruby called as we regrouped. Ren looked at the reaper, "Juane, Uncle Qrow and I can take care of its arms."

"Nora and I can take care of the horse." I volunteered.

"And I'll take care of the rest." Ren finished. We moved. Nora and I climbed the clock tower. Ruby, and Qrow started shooting to get the nuckelavee's attention before Juane stabbed one of its arms into the ground, Qrow and Ruby pinning the other soon after. Nora fell from the top of the tower, being struck by one of my lightning bolts as she smashed her hammer into the hrose's head, knocking the human portion to striking distance. Ren pulled out a dagger I hadn't noticed before as he stared down the nuckelavee. He stood unaffected as it screeched at him. He slashed one of the arms off, waited, gripped the horn of the creature, slashed the other off, waited, slashed it across the chest, then inhaled. "For myself." he declared, slicing the head off, killing the grimm.

Ren exhaled, probably exhausted beyond belief before Nora flying-hug-tackled him joyfully. I think that was when we heard the bullhead overhead.

...

As Mistral came into view, I smiled, pulling out my scroll and selecting the boss in my contacts. _Everything went smoothly._ I texted.

Ilia's POV

I held tightly to Yang as we sped down the road. We had said goodbye to Tai, aiming to take the easiest route to finding Ruby and company. Tai had told us how his first wife's semblance worked, and through that had given us the means to find Ruby and give Yang the chance to meet her mother. Two birds with one stone as the saying goes. We slowed to a stop and I looked up, seeing a sign pointed to Mistral and one towards the woods, where the Brawnwen camp would be located. "She is in so much trouble when we find her." Yang said playfully, causing me to giggle before we turned toward the woods. When we stopped for the night, I grabbed my scroll and sent Allie a text. _Heading for Raven. Be in Mistral soon._

Allie's POV

I looked at the messages on my scroll. One from Neo, one from Tara, and one from Ilia. I smiled as I turned to the console I had my big project hooked up to as I ran diagnostics. Everything seemed to be in working order. My smile turned to a smirk. "You may have succeeded in Beacon, Salem." I said, though I know she couldn't hear me. "But now the turn is mine." I flipped the switch, watching as the eyes of the robot next to me came to life. "The true game begins now." I declared, watching her come online.

"Penny Polendina, Combat Ready!" Penny declared, her tongue sticking out of the side of her mouth and a peace sign in front of her face as she winked.

 _ **And done! Like I said before, this one was rather obvious. Unfortunately, Allie isn't going to show up with Penny and our other unnamed friend until later, but it will happen. So, what did people think? And yes, I know Blake calling everyone together was in Vol 5, but I pushed the schedule ahead to give the faunus more time to prepare. I'm sorry, a week is NOT enough time to turn a bunch of civilians into a good enough army to take on a terrorist group. Well, I guess this is the part where I say leave a review and I'll see you next time!**_


	44. Establish base

_**Starting with Tara today, gonna be bouncing around the world a bit. And see someone we haven't in a while.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I looked around the city. "Mistral." I breathed. "Feels like a lifetime since I've been here."

"It's such a beautiful town! Why would you ever want to leave?" Nora asked me from her place on Ren's arm.

"Having to run for my life probably had something to do with it." I replied dryly, quickly ending _that_ discussion. I heard Qrow mutter something behind me, but I didn't question anything as I brushed my hand over Silico Shot, keeping an eye on the crowd as we made it to the safehouse I guess Qrow used whenever he was in town. Thankfully, we made it there without incident, and I checked my scroll's texts, seeing one from Allie.

 _All pieces moving into place. Timeframe 1 month. Oz due 10 days. Be ready._

 _-A_

I nodded to myself before turning to RNJR. I really did like that name. "Alright, so what exactly is our plan here? We can't exactly just walk into Haven Academy and talk to Lionheart." I asked everyone while we sat in the living room of the house.

"First we need to assess the situation." Qrow replied. "I'll do a little recon and see what we're dealing with. You all should just stay here and rest up."

"We rested plenty on the bullhead." Ruby argued, standing. "Juane, Tara, and I can check to see if there's been any White Fang activity in the area, maybe a meeting house we can infiltrate."

Qrow sighed, relenting and telling us to be back before sundown. Our tasks assigned, the four of us headed out while Nora and Ren opted to "hold down the fort." Yeah, I don't buy that either now that they're getting even closer than before.

Ilia's POV

We stopped at a convenience store where some lanky guy was making a purchase before taking note of us, or more specifically, Yang. "Hey sweetie. What's a pretty thing like you doing in these parts?" he asked in what I'm sure he thought was a suave voice, but really it came out as just sleazy. Yang grabbed some snacks and I grabbed a soda and a pack of skittles. Of course the guy didn't leave and kept trying to hit on Yang, who was doing her best to ignore him. "Oh come on, I'm sure I can show you and your little friend a good time." he pressed, reaching for Yang's real arm. Her metal one crashed into his face, sending him comically flying around the store and out the door. I giggled before grabbing my wallet and throwing down a lien card. "For the stuff and the damages." I informed. The clerk nodded and we left, watching the guy who Yang hit go running off.

"Crap, that's where we're going." Yang huffed.

"Hey, what are the odds we'll run into him again? This forest is rather big." I pointed out, climbing onto Bumblebee behind Yang. "Come on, let's find your mom so we can get to the others." We sped off.

Weiss' POV

I sighed as one of the bandits that had taken me pushed what I was sure was supposed to be a meal at me. I glared at him through the bars of the cage, cursing my luck. Of course, I had to be a good person, and this is the result. And that black-haired bitch clearly hadn't heard the news that my father had robbed me of my inheritance, giving it all to my brother with a loaded story about how I was too traumatized from what happened at Beacon. Yeah right. But I imagine that made it easier to sneak out of Atlas before the borders closed.

As the bandit who brought my food left, I smirked and concentrated. Another thing that happened is that I began perfecting my summoning. A mini-knight appeared in my hands, cutting at the bar I had him working on for a few days now. Just a little more, then I could find Myrtenaster and escape. After all, I had to find my friends. They were the only real family I had except Winter, and I don't know exactly where she is. But I knew where Ruby would be, Mistral. And that meant Yang wouldn't be far behind. Not to mention the rumors I heard about what was happening in Menagerie. The high White Fang body count could only have been Neo's work. Which meant Allie had a plan to get everyone in one place again to prevent what happened at Beacon to happen anywhere else. I heard someone coming and quickly dismissed my knight. I had to be careful. One wrong move, and they'd probably kill me.

Neo's POV

I smirked as I kicked one of the faunus recruits away. Blake had thought it would be a good idea for me to run combat drills with them on account of, "If they can break through your guard, Adam won't be a problem." Which I had to admit was true. And thanks to the various weapons ranging from a basic longsword to a rocket launcher she called "The Redeemer" that sounded seriously badass, my kitten had sent, we had more than enough to arm everyone. Although I had to send the Redeemer back. A nuke launcher just seemed a bit over-the-top, even for me.

"Take five everyone!" I heard Ghira call from behind me. I turned to see the giant of a man approaching. "Neo, I was hoping you would attend the strategy meeting starting soon?" I nodded, following him into the house where Blake, Kali, and Sun were waiting for us. Looks like things are going smoothly so far.

 _ **And done! For lack of any solid ideas for the majority, I'm gonna most likely stick to Yang and Ilia. And Weiss when the Lava Lamp(Least that's one of the names I've seen for them) duo get to the bandit camp. So what did people think? Good? Bad? Not enough? Leave a review telling me what you thought, and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	45. Coming to camp: a reunion or two

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Ilia's POV

We rode for a few hours before coming to a stop in a clearing. I stretched. "Man, I'm glad to be off that thing." I cheered.

"Oh come on! You'll hurt Bumblebee's feelings if you say things like that." Yang mock-scolded me, causing me to giggle.

"Can you blame me? We've been riding almost nonstop on that thing for two weeks now. Are we even close to the camp at this point?" I shot back. Yang opened her mouth to respond, then froze, clicking Ember Cecilia into ready mode.

My hand reached for Rainbow Fang automatically, my semblance reaching out to identify what had put Yang on guard. Human auras. Bandits most likely. Hopefully ones that would lead us back to their camp when we kicked their asses. We waited for a few seconds, then the bandits came out lead by the lanky sleaze ball from the other day.

"Well well, if it isn't the blonde who knocked my tooth out." he taunted, brandishing his weapon.

"This everyone?" Yang asked coldly. I did a quick count. Wow, I didn't even need to fight. Yang could handle these guys on her own if she were sick with a serious flu.

"Yes little lady, this is everyone." the guy replied. "Well, unless you count everyone at the camp back that way." he added, pointing his thumb behind him. And that's what we needed.

Rainbow Fang lashed out, taking that guy first before the rest reacted. Once he was down, Yang engaged three at once and I clicked my own weapon to sword mode and started blocking shots from this bitch with an AR. Where did she even get that thing? Meh whatever. Yang took care of three more that tried to take her on in close range while I knocked out the two who were firing at us. Then, deciding to show off a little, I ignited my blade and clicked it into whip mode, becoming a tornado of flaming doom.

We had just about finished up when the first guy got back to his feet, firing at Yang. It went wide, and I smirked as Yang shot toward him, front flipped, and knocked him into the last bandit. Sheathing Rainbow Fang, I came over to my blonde companion, grabbing her shaking real hand to steady it. "He said that way, right?" I asked pointing. Yang nodded with a small smile and we started walking.

We barely got two steps when the guy called out again. "It doesn't even matter." he declared. "When Raven finds out what you did you're dead!"

"Possibly, but I doubt it." Yang replied, turning back to him. "I am her daughter after all."

I laughed when he said, "I'm dead." before collapsing.

...

We were lead into the camp by three armed guards. I extended my semblance to encase the (rather well fortified) camp. About thirty in all. But one of them was Raven, so I honestly wasn't sure of our chances if things went bad. Wait, what was that brushing against the edge of my radar? It feels familiar. Well, in any event we were lead to what I remembered was Raven's tent.

The woman herself stepped out not a few seconds later, mask, weapon and all. My hand was on Rainbow Fang reflexively, but the grip was loose at best. "Mom." Yang greeted coldly.

Raven removed her helmet. "Yang." she breathed, sounding almost...relieved. "So after all this time, you finally decided to come and visit me." she said louder. Seriously? Wasn't she the one who walked out on Yang and Tai?

Yang's arm began trembling, and I gripped it quickly. She smiled at me before turning back to her mother. "You know that I searched for you." She replied. "I spent years looking for you!"

"And you found me." Raven replied easily. This chick was really starting to bug me. Apparently she noticed me then, because she turned to me and glared. "And I thought I had seen the last of you when Tara left."

"That was the plan." I replied. "But our mutual enemy changed things up." Catching Yang's look and mouthing, "Later," the mother and daughter focused on each other again.

"Well, you still showed the patience, determination, and strength to realize your dream. But did you have to be so rough with my men?" she asked, almost teasingly.

"I didn't want a fight." Yang snapped. "They started it."

"Well you two certainly finished it." Raven replied.

"Not our fault they picked a fight they couldn't win." I joked, causing some laughs from the bandits surrounding us. "Can we skip to why we came here in the first place?"

Yang nodded. "That's right, I'm not here for you. Ruby's somewhere in Mistral with Qrow and she's going to need our help. We just need you to take us to her."

Raven glared at us. That hadn't been what she expected to hear. "And why would I do that?"

"Because we're family?" Yang replied, folding her hands.

Raven muttered something about family I didn't catch, turning away for a moment. "I have to say I'm disappointed. After all, you found me, didn't you? Why not take that drive and use it to find your little sister if she really means that much to you?"

"Matter of convenience." I replied. "Had Allie not locked up Sanctuary, we'd use the Key beacons to just warp right to her. And Tai told us how your semblance worked." Raven glared at me. "Like I said, plans change."

"That's right." Yang said smugly. "You can bond to certain people. And when you do you can create a portal that takes you straight to them. You've got one for Dad, one for me...and one for Qrow."

"He's with Ruby and Tara. He promised he'd watch out for them. So, we need a portal to your dear brother, and we'll be out of your hair, hopefully for good this time." I finished.

"You know, it takes real strength to march in here and demand something of me. I've got to say, I'm impressed." Raven declared. Tai wasn't kidding, this chick is obsessed with strength. "It's very noble to want to help out your sister and friends, but if they're with Qrow, then they're already a lost cause."

"Do you really mean Qrow?" I asked. "Or are you more thinking of Ozpin's war?" Raven flinched slightly, and I noticed one of the bandit girls nearby look concerned. Wait, what was she leaning on? That's. "Yang, Weiss is here." I muttered. She didn't hear me, since she was still arguing with Raven.

A standoff occurred, and my hand gripped Rainbow Fang's hilt tighter. "If that's how you feel, we're done here." she hissed. "Take her away." The bandits closed in.

"Did you not hear me?" Yang demanded, her eyes turning red. "I said send me to Qrow, damn it!"

"That's enough! You watch' your mouth in front of our leader!" one of the bandits shouted.

"Make me." Yang spat. I stepped back, allowing Yang to punch the oncoming fool into a tent, collapsing it to reveal our missing ice queen.

"Yang? Ilia?" she gasped.

"Weiss?" Yang replied in total disbelief.

"Alright then, subtlety is out." she declared as a giant knight appeared from in the cage she was standing in. The pair came to stand by us, taking the best battle stance they could.

"What is that?" Yang asked, gesturing to the giant white knight.

"Never mind that, what are you doing here?" she demanded.

"Well, that's my mom, and she can take us to Ruby." Yang replied, jerking her head toward the bandit leader.

" _Your mom_ kidnapped me?" Weiss gasped.

"You kidnapped her?" Yang and I asked simultaneously. The bandits began closing in again, and we were ready to fight back, but a loud BANG caught everyone's attention.

"ENOUGH!" Raven screamed. Everyone turned to see the bandit girl holding Wiess' rapier holding up what looked like one of Allie's TOURGE pistols. "Thank you." Raven said to her subordinate. "If you people don't keep it together, this place will be crawling with grimm." she snapped. Turning to the girl, she said, "Give the girl her weapon back." Vernal(as I found her name out later) rolled her eyes and tossed the rapier to the ice queen. "You three, in my tent. Now." Raven demanded.

"Why?" Yang demanded. Good question.

"If you're really going to go after your sister, then you need to know the truth." Raven replied, heading into her tent. Everyone dispersed, leaving just the three of us and the giant out in the open.

"Sorry about-" Yang began, only for us both to be hug-tackled by Wiess.

"I missed you both so much." she whispered.

Yang and I smiled to each other. "We missed you too."

 _ **And done! I realized while writing this Oscar still has to meet with RNJR, so I'll probably do that next. Other than that, how did it go? Good? Bad? Leave a review and tell me what you thought. See everyone next time!**_


	46. Oscar's arrival and Salem's scheme

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I sat in one of the surprisingly comfortable chairs while I waited. After failing to find any huntsmen in the area, apparently they were all out on missions, Qrow had gone out to get a drink. When the rest of us had gotten home, we had just intended to go about our usual activities. I was reading this cute book that Allie had leant me before the Fall, Nora and Ren had vanished upstairs together, but this building's sturdy design made the rooms practically soundproof, so I wasn't hearing much of anything from them. Ruby was, as far as I knew, making some adjustments to Crescent Rose. I think Juane was out back practicing his swordplay. So everyone was just kinda doing their own thing. Not like we could do much else at the moment. Lionheart had emptied the school, and at this point it was only a matter of my powers to let Salem's lackeys get the relic.

It was another couple hours, when everyone had finished their activities and convened in the living room, bored out of their minds, when a knock at the door was heard. My hand went to Silico Shot, which was resting beside me, as Juane cautiously approached the door. When he opened it, I sighed as some kid at the door. "Can I help you?" Juane asked.

"Is there a Ruby Rose here?" the kid asked. Hand back on weapon as Ren and Nora stand, all of us on high alert. Who can blame us after Tyrian?

"Why?" Nora demanded, looking the most dangerous I had ever seen her.

"Well," the kid began.

Only to be shaken by a clearly drunk Qrow. Guy must have been hitting the bottle pretty hard. "I found him!" he cheered. What was he so happy about? Wait a second, how long have we been here now? I checked the time stamp of the text Allie had sent me. _10 days ago._ Gotcha.

"I think her uncle needs some help." Oscar finished. I sighed as Qrow collapsed onto the couch, giggling hysterically.

"What is going on out there!" Ruby yelled from...wherever she had been until that point. Storming out, she shouted, "Can't a girl read her comics in peace?" her room then. Qrow burped and laughed again, and the reaper sighed. "Qrow, did you get drunk again?" she asked dryly.

"Maybe." the old man replied. Everyone sighed before turning their attention back to the kid.

"You...have silver eyes." he realized.

Ruby glanced at the rest of us before asking, "Who are you?"

"Well, my name is Oscar Pine." he began.

"Wait for it." Qrow muttered.

"But you probably know me as...Professer Ozpin?" he finished. Everyone but me stood gobsmacked as Qrow laughed again.

"I did it!" he cheered, falling off of the couch. I just wind lifted him back up.

Cinder's POV

I watched by Salem's side as Watts met with Lionheart. What an ironic name for such a coward. I wasn't really interested, though. After all, I was more focused on plucking a certain rose. "Cinder dear, are we coming through clearly?" Watts was asking me. "Well, as clearly as you can see anyway." he mocked.

"Shut up." I hissed, my newly reaquired voice coming out venomously.

"Oh good, you've recovered." he remarked.

"My lady," Lionheart interrupted. "The Spring Maiden has been sighted in Mistral." he informed. That brat was there? Which meant Ruby was as well. And maybe even that Black Cat. Salem complimented Watt's abilities, but he humbled himself before the overpowering woman I stood beside.

"But ma'am, we have to hurry. Qrow Brawnwen is already starting to look into the missing huntsmen and-" he was silenced by one of the communicator creature's tentacles choking him. I smirked in sick satisfaction.

Turning to me, Salem gave her orders. "Cinder, you and your team will meet with Dr. Watts and cooperate to capture the maiden. Once you have Spring, contact Hazel. The White Fang was promised the destruction of Haven, and they'll have it once we have what we need."

"Of course, Lady Salem." I said with a bow, going to find Emerald and Mercury. Salem stopped me before I left the room though.

"You're free to speak your mind." she offered.

"I don't understand." I admitted. "We're strong enough to take what we want by force. Why leave Ruby alive? Why not take them all out now?"

Salem smiled at me, like a mother responding to the tantruming question of a child. It infuriated me, but I waited for her response. "Never underestimate the usefulness of others." she replied. "Take Leonardo, he was one of Ozpin's most trusted, and yet now..." she hummed. "You will have the power I promised you when the time is right, but remember it comes with a cost. If Ruby Rose has learned to harness her gift, then you must take care to protect yours."

I looked at my arm. The arm that had become a grimm claw. "There's only so much I can do to aid you." Salem reminded me. I bowed and started to leave again, but Salem's voice cut through the room. "And Cinder, inform Tyrian that I wish to have a word with him." I nodded, suppressing a chill as I left.

...

After sending the insane scorpion on his way, I found Emerald reading one of the books I had given her while Mercury trained. "Emerald, Mercury. Pack your things. We're heading out." I informed. Emerald, true to her adorable form, slipped the bookmark into her book and leaped to her feet. "I'll inform you of the mission while we're on our way." I added as the two passed me.

Soon I would have my revenge on Ruby. Then I would take Tara's powers for my own. "It'll never work. Not the way you're planning." I heard from behind me.

"Oh great, you're back." I sighed, turning to Crimson. "And what do you suggest I do?"

"Well, I came across this trinket that boosts the power of fire and wind based attacks if you're interested." Crimson replied in his sickly sweet tone, holding up an amber ring. "And I found this amazing black sword. Honestly I didn't expect to find something so powerful here." he added, holding up a black sword as long as his own body. "It's said that this sword is capable of receiving any attack without taking damage that shines much like the water of the Lake. At least it did until it's original weilder fell from grace, so to speak. It still retains it's indestructability, as well as it's ability to raise it's owner's parameters. Are you interested?" I glared at him, but nodded. "Very well, here is Ardonight."

 _ **And done! Well, what did people think? Good? Bad? Not quite enough? Leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	47. Gather players

_**Starting in Menagerie this time. So Neo's POV**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I smirked as I watched everyone sparring. Things were coming along well. Now all we needed was some transport, and then we'd be going to Mistral to meet up with the rest of my friends. Maybe even...I sighed as I leaned back, thinking for the I-don-t-even-care-how-manyth time about the beautiful girl who held my heart. I missed her so much. I wanted to see her. I wanted her to hold me just like she did before.

"Missing Allie again?" I heard from above me. I looked up to see Sun hanging out in the tree I was sitting against and nodded.

' _Shouldn't you be out there helping the recruits train?'_ I asked as he plopped down next to me.

"Eh, taking a break. We've all been pushing ourselves too hard these past couple weeks." he replied.

 _'Says you.'_ I countered.

"Oh please, like you're not enjoying running us all into the ground." Sun snarked. I flinched slightly, and he noticed. "What's wrong? Did you have another one last night?" he asked. I nodded once. Ever since the attack on the manor, I had been having these nightmares, each one worse the last one. "We'll always be here to pull you back from the brink. Keep that in mind, kay?"

I nodded. ' _Thanks bro. I needed to hear that.'_ I replied.

"Any time! Now I guess I should get back to work whipping these sorry souls into shape." he said with a dramatic puff of his chest. I rolled my eyes at the boy who had taken up the role of my "big brother figure." At first I thought it was just a way to get closer to Blake, but then they started getting closer, and he still made time to come bug me. It was actually kinda sweet. Figuring it was time for me to get back to work as well, I stood and followed Sun to the training ground.

…

I sat on what had basically become my balcony, looking out at the beautiful night scenery. Allie would love this view. I'd have to bring her around after Salem's been handled. The thought of my girlfriend brought back the bittersweet desire to see her as soon as possible. "I thought I'd find you here." I turned to see Kali standing in the door. "You miss her, don't you?"

I nodded. ' _It's like I'm missing part of myself. This is really scary, feeling this way.'_ I admitted.

"Yes, love can be scary." Kali replied, coming to stand next to me. "But it's also something you can't live without now that you've experienced it, isn't it?" I smiled and nodded. "And I'm sure she misses you too. After all, she's gone just as long not seeing you as you have seeing her."

My eyes widened. ' _I hadn't thought of it like that.'_ I realized. How many times had Allie complained about missing me? How lonely did she feel, in bed without me there? I flicked over to Allie's number. _I need to see you. Things are well in hand here._ I texted her. A short time later, my scroll pinged.

 _It's unlocked._

I smiled happily. ' _I'll be back later. Let Blake and Sun know for me please.'_ Kali nodded and I vanished into the portal. Running to HQ, I saw a head or orange hair, and a very familiar pair of black cat ears exiting the building.

"Hello, Neo." Allie said, walking up to me and kissing me deeply. I kissed her back, with just as much vigor. After about a minute, we separated, and I noticed Allie had pulled me close. "We were just about to head out. Wanna come?"

' _What's the score?'_ I asked.

"Ilia's Key pinged about halfway to the Brawnwen camp. We got a possible." my kitten replied. My eyes widened. A possible? I grinned.

 _'Let's do it_.' I declared.

the next day

Tara's POV

Qrow had gone out again, looking for some friends who could help us get the relic. Of course, no one had questioned Ozpin's return, and RNJR was sure he could help solve our problem. He was upset when I told him about what was going on at Mistral, but took it in stride of course. After that it had been getting Oscar used to combat via training with Ruby. Some of it was rather comical, with Oscar usually on his back. Although there was this one time Ruby threw a kick and Oscar got a glimpse of the reaper's panties. I hadn't seen the poor girl blush so heavily.

Well, everyone had just finished sparring and Ren had started dinner, Juane helping set the table while Ruby helped with spices. We heard the door open and Qrow call "I'm home."Dinner is almost ready!" Ruby called. She followed me into the living room to welcome the guests, "We didn't know how many people were coming, so we just cooked all of"-oof!" Ruby groaned as she bumped into my frozen form. "Tara, what the heck?" she asked, coming around me and freezing herself.

Yang stepped forward, looking somewhat upset. Ilia and Wiess stayed in place. Ruby began speaking, panicking was more like it. "Yang, I'm-I'm so sorry! I should have stayed, and I should have talked to you more! I just- I wasn't sure if you wanted me around and-" Yang picked that moment to hug her sister.

"I love you." She said, causing me to smile. Ilia came over to me, nodding. I returned the greeting and we watched as Ruby called Wiess over, making it a small group hug. I glanced around, noticing everyone else had come into the room. I smiled. We were almost all here.

...

Dinner was served. Everyone was chatting happily as we sat. I couldn't help but notice that Ilia chose the seat next to Yang, a fact I would tease her for later. "How do you lose your map at a time like that?" Yang was asking. I rolled my eyes, knowing exactly what she was talking about.

"Believe me, I've been asking myself that ever since." Juane said with a longsuffering sigh while everyone laughed.

"Hey, but you made up for it, Mister Muscles." Nora comforted. "You should have seen this guy take a giant grimm head-on!"

"I couldn't have done it without Ruby wearing it down." Juane replied.

"Me? Did you see Ren during that fight? He was out of control!" Ruby countered.

"I'm sorry. I may have lost my temper momentarily." Ren said, looking sheepish.

"No no!" Ruby gasped, realizing her mistake. "Out of control as in awesome. And Tara and Nora's combo when they took out the horse!"

"That was pretty fun." I chuckled.

We moved on to what had happened with Wiess. "You did not!" Nora gasped.

"I did, right in the middle of the gala." the embarrassed ex-heiress replied.

"Please tell me you let that lady have it." Yang laughed.

"Of course not!" Wiess replied indignantly. "Even if I did really want to." she admitted.

"No way, I don't believe it." Nora said, crossing her arms. Everyone laughed as she jumped away from the white boratusk that suddenly appeared right next to her. We all laughed at that one.

After we had finished, Yang showed off her arm. Ruby went starry-eyed as she admired the workmanship, and Nora challenged Yang to an armwrestling contest. Wiess groaned, trying to keep it from happening, but she was ignored. Ren and Juane cheered on Nora, while Ruby and Ilia cheered for Yang. Wiess and I watched, chuckling when Yang detached her arm, sending Nora flying back. There were various degrees of laughter and horror as Nora flipped out, throwing Yang's arm back to her.

"Oh man, we ate it all." Juane groaned, picking up the dishes. "I think I'm gonna be sick."

"Easy there Vomit boy." Yang joked. "I believe in you."

"Oh, we're doing nickname throwbacks now?" he said sarcastically.

Wiess giggled, and Nora saw the chance. "I mean, the Ice Queen seems to like it."

Ruby laughed heartily, which prompted a response from Wiess. "I so did not miss you people." she declared with a smile.

Nora gasped. "She really does like it! What went and warped your heart while you were gone?"

"Hate to say it, Wiess, but she's got a point." I chuckled.

"Hey!" the Ice Queen snapped before smiling. "You make it sound like I used to be terrible."

"Nah." Yang shrugged. "Just a lot to deal with at once." Wiess glared at the dragon, while Yang just stuck her tongue out playfully.

"It's been a long time, we've all grown in our own ways." Ren declared. I smiled and nodded, but Ilia gestured for me to follow her, so I left RWY and JNR to their conversation.

Ilia pointed to Oscar. "That him?" she asked. I nodded and we both sighed, knowing the boss would want words with the reincarnation when she arrived.

 _ **And done! For now. So, what did everyone think? Good? Bad? Not enough? Leave a review telling what you thought and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	48. Move into Positon

_**Picking up right where we left off,**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Ilia's POV

We sat in the living room, everyone silent as Ozpin explained what Team ANTI had known early on. "Is this what Miss Rouge and Raven told you all?" Ozpin asked. I had to admit, after hanging with Allie, it was way easier to adapt to the man-child... thing. What the hell is Ozpin? Anyway, we all nodded.

"You all forgot to mention what you did to Qrow and my mom." Yang pointed out.

"Oh, great." Qrow muttered.

Ozpin looked at his cane before speaking. "That's...not a secret I thought she would give up so easily." he admitted. "Your mother must trust you a great deal."

"Or she just wanted us to know how in over our heads we are." I muttered, catching Yang and Wiess' attention, who were sitting on either side of me, but neither brought it up as Ozpin kept talking.

"My ability to reincarnate, though a curse, does not come without some key benefits. Much like the Maidens, I too possess a certain magical power." he admitted, standing. "Using this power, I was able to gift the Brawnwen twins to see more, to move freely, unburdened by their natural bodies."

"The transformations! I totally forgot you could do that!" Tara gasped. Everyone looked at the Maiden and she continued. "The ability to transform into a certain animal. I'm guessing Qrow and Raven can turn into birds?" Oh yeah, I had even sensed Raven in her bird form. How did I forget that?

"You turned them...into birds." Ren repeated.

"Rather ridiculous when you say it out loud." Ozpin chuckled.

"I used to think that was impossible, but after the thing's I've seen in the Vault's rings." Nora muttered.

"Why would you do something like that? What is wrong with you?" Yang demanded.

"Yang." Qrow hissed. "That's enough. We made choice, we wanted this." Yang sat back, still glaring.

"May I?" Ozpin asked. Qrow nodded and Ozpin came over to my crush. "Granting this power was no trivial task. And I can assure you it was not done frivolously. I required assistance in gathering information on Salem's plans, and locate Maidens when their hosts became unclear."

"And yet when Salem's plans were handed to you on a silver platter, you ignored them." I cut in.

"What do you mean, Ilia?" Juane asked.

"Allie told Ozpin exactly what would happen. She gave him everything he needed to stop the Fall, but did Ozpin do a damned thing about it? No, of course not. Because despite everything, all the evidence otherwise, he still thought he knew better." I snapped, standing. "I don't trust him, and neither should any of you. I'm only here because I trust my leader." With that I left the room, hearing footsteps behind me. Using my semblance so I didn't have to turn, I realized Yang and Tara were following me.

Cinder's POV

We walked down the path to Mistral, keeping an eye out for any dangers. Watts was supposedly waiting for us at the gate, but I didn't trust that viper to be where he says. "Cinder," Emerald called, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Are you sure we shouldn't try to convince some of the local bandits to help us? We will be going against Ozpin's Gamer and her friends."

"There's no point in working with those scum." I replied, smirking at my cuter subordinate. "Unless you think I'm not strong enough to beat the Black Cat of Beacon?" I suggested, rubbing the pommel of the sword Crimson had given me before we left.

"Of course not!" Emerald replied quickly. "Of course you can beat them, I just thought you'd appreciate some cannon fodder."

I considered that, smiling. "You may actually be on to something, Emerald." I chuckled. She beamed at my praise, and I couldn't help smiling. "We'll have to look into it once we meet up with Watts."

"Sounds like fun." Mercury stated. "Long as I get a shot at the blonde girl, there won't be a problem."

"No one asked you, Mercury!" Emerald snapped. I sighed as they started arguing yet again. And I just tuned them out like I normally do.

Neo's POV

I emerged from the portal, smiling happily. The dungeon had been a bust, but the place would respawn all its mobs later, and that meant we could try again some other time. Of course I felt stiff still, lingering effect of the boss, but I was still happy, having spent even a day with my sweet Allie Cat. I twirled my umbrella, meeting up with Blake and Sun at the docks.

"You look happy." Sun noted with his signature smile.

' _Feel happy. Is everything ready?'_ I replied.

"Yeah." Blake replied. "We're ready to head to Mistral." I nodded, watching the faunus load up onto the ships. Apparently the ship captain who owed us a favor had a few favors from other ship captains in port that he called in to fit our makeshift army. I texted Allie with the update before joining them.

Allie's POV

I sighed as I looked at the screens in my holo-table room. I just knew that despite all my careful planning, something was gonna blow up in my face. "I'm gonna go do some fine-tuning on Sekiryuki. Let me know if anything happens?" I asked the android next to me.

"Can do, Friend Allie." Penny saluted. "Will we be rejoining the others soon?"

"Let's hope." I muttered, checking my scroll when I heard it ping. Smiling, I repeated, "Let's hope. Let the others know?" I requested. Penny nodded, hurrying out of the room to find the other two occupants of Sanctuary.

 _ **And done! We're almost to the big battle, since I'm seriously condensing the Vol 5 chapters... you know, if you haven't noticed. Anyway what do you guys think? Leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	49. First Contact

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Tara's POV

"Haven." I muttered. "Never thought I'd be here again." I remarked to my friends. We had taken a day to just enjoy the fact we were all together at Ozpin's request, and we had come to Haven the next evening. We would have been here earlier, but Oz still wanted Oscar to train some more. I just hoped everyone was ready for what laid ahead.

"Um Qrow." Ilia called, catching the old man's attention. "You said this place was pretty much empty, right?"

"Yeah." Qrow replied.

"Then why am I getting almost double the aura signatures from inside that are outside?" the chameleon asked. Everyone drew their weapons. Looked like we had a welcoming committee.

The doors opened to reveal Leonardo Lionheart at the top of the front foyer's steps. "Lionheart." I greeted coldly.

"Ah! Miss Malachite, so glad to have you back with us." Lionheart said nervously.

"Save it, I can sense all the people lying in wait." Ilia called, Rainbow Fang clicking into whip mode behind me. The aura signatures made themselves known as they stepped out from behind pillars, from within shadows, and a couple from inside adjoining rooms. "Bandits." Ilia muttered.

"Very good." Came a sultry voice. Cinder stepped into view. "It's so good to see you all here. Although I had expected a few more of you honestly."

I glanced around the room. If she was here, then that meant that her lapdogs were here as well. Mercury and Emerald appeared from the top of the stairs, joing their boss' side. "What do you intend to do now, Cinder? You can't unlock that Vault without my help." I demanded.

"Why would you say that out loud?" Wiess demanded. I didn't reply, waiting for Cinder's answer.

"Well, I'll rob you of your powers, just like I did that Amber girl, then I'll unlock the vault myself. Unless of course one of my new friends manages to bring you to me alive that is." She replied. I smirked. Mission success.

The door opened behind us, and a huge man walked in. "Oh no." Oscar muttered. Guess he recognized the guy.

"The White Fang is prepping for demolition. No one's getting in, and no one's getting out." he informed. Everyone looked worried, but they turned their attention back to Cinder.

Qrow glared up at Lionheart. "How long Lionheart?" he demanded.

"How do you think they got the records to get into the Festival?" I asked. "He's been working with them for a _long_ time."

Juane spoke up, glaring at Cinder. "What is wrong with you?" he demanded. "How can you be so broken inside? To take so many lives? Then come here and rub it in our faces like it's something to be proud of?"

"Juane?" Nora asked worriedly.

"All with that _damn smile_ on your face!" Everyone primed their weapons, but Qrow stopped us from engaging. "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did. Do you hear me?" Qrow called for Juane to calm down, but he wasn't listening. "Well? Say something!"

"Who are you again?" Cinder asked. Juane roared a battle cry and the fight began soon after. Five bandits were trying to capture me, but a wind gust knocked them back. I slid Silico Shot into Spear form as I took my battle stance, knocking two bandits away and cutting a third. Looks like everyone's focused on me. Good.

Ruby's POV

"Juane!" I gasped in worry as Cinder drew some long black sword, blocking his strike. I shot my baby, converting her to scythe mode only to be pulled down my Emerald's chain.

"You're not getting anywhere near her." she declared smugly. We engaged in our own melee.

Yang's POV

Ilia and I moved to engage the bandits, but while she got through, Mercury blocked my path. "Hey Blondie." he greeted. "I have to admit, I really wanted to play with you during the Festival. Care to do it now?" I propelled myself forward with shots from my gauntlets and engaged him, doing everything I could to keep him on the defensive.

I heard the others start their own battles. I noticed Oscar beating back Lionheart out of the corner of my eye. Kid's pretty good. And I heard Nora's shout. Someone's gonna be hurting soon. I just hope we could all keep this up.

Neo's POV

I smiled in satisfaction as the last of the White Fang was knocked out. I had found the detonation switch, and lifted it off Adam before he even noticed I was there. From there it was a simple matter to disable the bombs before the bull faunus even knew what was happening.

Leaving the faunus problems to the faunus, I slipped inside without anyone noticing and surveyed the room. Nora and Ren were struggling against Hazel, I recognized him from the description Allie gave me, but they were still okay. Wiess, Qrow, and my own teammates seemed to be on trash mob duty, then I looked over to where Juane and Ruby were. Shit, Cinder. But what was that big sword she was swinging around. My eyes widened. That looked suspiciously like a Noble Phantasm I remember from watching Fate/Zero. I had to get in there. Wasting no time, I made a break for Cinder.

Wiess' POV

I parried another strike from a bandit clumsily swinging his oversized butcher's knife at me before knocking him back with a quick thrust. "Ilia, I need cover! Five seconds tops!" I called.

"Got it!" was the quick reply. I stabbed my blade into the ground, my summoning glyph taking form as my knight climbed out. Once he was completely summoned, he started clearing out mobs. "I've got this! Help Juane!" I called. Tara and Ilia nodded, dashing to help that total idiot while the knight and I took out the bandits.

Cinder's POV

This sword was doing something to me. Something was very wrong. But at the very least, as I knocked the boy onto his ass, "I'm starting to remember you. You're the dense one who can't tell when he's out of his league." he glared at me, but neither of us could reengage each other.

"What about us?" I heard Spring ask. She had her spear in an oddly familiar stance as she and her chameleon friend glared at me. "Help Ruby. Emerald is still a bit over her level." she ordered. The chameleon nodded, running to join Ruby in her fight.

Ruby's POV

I blocked the attacks Emerald threw at me. "Why are you doing this?" I asked. "Salem is-"

"I don't care about Salem!" she screamed. "But Cinder means everything to me!" That I hadn't expected. "If you want to fight her, be my guest." Flames erupted in front of Emerald, and Cinder stood before me, lunging. I tried to block, but she phased right through me. Emerald dashed at me during my recovery, knocking me off my feet.

My saving grace came in the form of Ilia as her whip wrapped around Emerald's arm and yanked her away. I recovered and saw Cinder and Juane rushing each other. I panicked. Not again. NOT AGAIN. "NO!" I screamed, my eyes reacting. Suddenly my world went dark as I felt a pain in my head.

Cinder's POV

My arm throbbed. Damn that little bitch! I looked up in enough time to barely escape the kid's thrusts that would have impaled itself through my skull if I had noticed a second later. I stood, calling my powers to the surface as I stomped on the boy's chest. "Did you really think you had a chance against me?" I demanded. My instincts told me to block, and I rose Ardonight to block a sudden...spear thrust? But Spring was still under on the ground so who? I looked at my attacker, seeing emerald eyes and red hair. "Impossible!" I gasped, backing up. "I killed you!"

"I got better." she responded.

The boy got up, staring at the new arrival. "Pyrrha?" he breathed.

Ruby's POV

I came to, feeling someone pulling me up. "Are you conscious again, Girlfriend Ruby?" I looked into a pair of beautiful green eyes I thought I would never see again.

"Penny?" I gasped.

Penny nodded, but everyone's attention was caught when there was a loud CRASH in the middle of the room. A maniacal laugh came next. "It's showtime!" Allie called.

 _ **And done! Look back, both were hinted both subtly and rather obviously. And did you really think I'd kill them after I took even a few seconds to make Arkos and Nuts and Dolts a thing? Come on people! Anyway, leave a review and I'll see you everyone next time! But for now, good night.**_


	50. Counterattack

_**For those of you waiting for an epic beatdown, let me just say...**_

 _ **You don't know the half of it.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Allie's POV

Looks like my entrance had its effect on Cinder's group. My team instantly rallied to me, making me smile. "Hello my dears. What's the score? Nya~" I asked.

"Cinder and company are after me. The bandits are focused on capturing me as a result." Tara informed me.

' _The White Fang outside are being rounded up as we speak.'_ Neo added.

"So far everything's going according to plan." Ilia finished.

"Good, good." I smiled before my eyes slitted, becoming serious. "Get the relic. That's the main objective." my teammates nodded, making for the elevator. "Pyrrha, Penny, keep them off of us!" I shouted.

"No complaints from me." Pyrrha replied.

"Affirmative, Friend Allie!" Penny saluted before her backpack opened to reveal her swords. With everyone solidly back in the fight, I made for the elevator.

Pyrrha's POV

I glared at Cinder. "Do you still believe in destiny?" I asked mockingly. That seemed to spur her into action as she slashed that black sword of hers at me. I parried the blow, using my Polarity to make sure the impact wasn't too harsh, and smacked her with the butt of my new spear. Cinder stumbled back, glaring at me before taking in my weapon. It wasn't my old Milo, that was for sure. My new spear was as long as I was, with a long, broad spear with two out-turned lugs at the base of the head, that forms a guard similar to that of a boar spear. But it was the new headpiece Allie had made me that really brought the weapon's full potential out, should the need arise. Cinder and I traded blows, neither of us getting a solid hit in.

"Enough of this!" Cinder shouted, throwing a fireball that knocked my spear out of my hand. Seeing an advantage, she charged me with her swort tip aimed for my heart. I smirked, folding my thumb, ring finger, and pinkie in and twisting my wrist, pointing my index and middle fingers inward, moving them back and forth as I did so. My spear spun back to me, knocking Cinder's lethal strike away. "What?" the Fall Maiden gasped.

"Secret's out then." I chuckled, snapping my fingers. "No reason to hold back. Spirit Spear Chastiefol fifth configuration: Increase." Chastiefol split into a sea of daggers, all pointed at my opponent.

"But how?" Juane wondered.

"Well, her Polarity would let her control the weapon itself, and let me guess, your new crown?" Cinder replied, surprisingly calm despite the thousands of blades pointed at her. I nodded, smirking as I willed the blades forward.

She responded with a sea of fire, each flame knocking my own attacks off course. I set my jaw. This wasn't going to be easy.

Penny's POV

It seemed Friend Pyrrha wasn't holding back. Smirking, I decided to show these bad people just what Penny 2.0 was capable of. My swords began spinning, and I tapped on my wrist, my hand changing to an ion cannon. "Eat this!" I snapped, firing my two-prong laser. Emerald jumped out of the way, still losing some hair. Enraged, Emerald rushed me in an attempt to take my head. I responded by raising my other hand as it grew a wrist blade, easily blocking the attack.

"Penny, how are you doing that?" Girlfriend Ruby asked.

I smiled as I continued to block Emerald's increasingly frenzied strikes. "Simple, Girlfriend Ruby. Friend Allie couldn't repair me, so instead she salvaged all the most important parts and used her own technology to make me a cybernetic organism and given living flesh." I explained.

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Leave it to Allie to turn my girlfriend into a terminator." she sighed. "Looks like she based you off the third one."

"Indeed. She supposed it was the machine equivalent of a Huntress." I replied, switching my blade arm to a gun arm, causing Emerald to back off before I started firing my new SMG hand, complete with shock bullets. Allie wanted the lapdogs alive, for whatever reason.

Allie's POV

"So...Pyrrha's a Fairy King and Penny's a terminator?" Ilia asked as we descended to the vault of the relic. I nodded and she sighed. "Boss, has anyone ever told you you're insane?" she asked.

"Yep, you actually." I replied cheerfully. We all shared a laugh as we came to our destination. I smirked as the four of us approached the door. "Tara, if you would." I requested.

"I think not." came a voice from behind us. We all turned, weapons drawn as Cinder glared at us with her one visible eye.

"How did you get past Pyrrha?" I demanded.

"Well," Cinder chuckled.

Five minutes ago, Cinder's POV

This was getting me nowhere, and if I didn't return with the relic, who knew what Salem would do to me? I let my powers loose, and they exploded in a fire nova, knocking Pyrrha back into her boyfriend, stunning them both and giving me enough time to jump down the shaft.

Allie's POV

I growled in annoyance. Of course Cinder found a way to divert my plan. Pointing Sekiryuki at the Fall Maiden, I called behind me, "Tara, Ilia, get the relic. Neo and I can handle this." I ordered.

I heard weapons being sheathed and saw Neo stand beside me, umbrella at the ready. Cinder laughed. "That is adorable!" she declared, wiping a fake tear from her eye before glaring at us. "Now then, let's see if your Sekiryuki can compare to my Ardonight," she hissed, pointing her own sword at us.

Ardonight? How had she-"Crimson." I cursed. Looks like he's still gonna be a thorn in my side. Meh, can't be helped I guess. "What are you waiting for Cinder?" I taunted, my eyes slitting. "I wanna see you bleed."

 _ **And done! Well, ain't I a stinker for this one? So, what did you guys think? Oh, and due to a certain plot point I decided on, I'll only be showing part of the 2v1 under everyone's feet and focusing more on the total destruction of Cinder's backup, as well as how Juane unlocks his semblance. Well, leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	51. Victory

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Pyrrha's POV

I cursed myself for not paying more attention and letting Cinder get away. Juane helped me to my feet, and I surveyed the battleground. Penny and Ruby are doing fine, Yang's handling Mercury well enough, I lost track of Qrow and that mini-Ozpin, but I imagine they're fine. I saw Wiess breathing hard as she and her giant knight thing fended off the bandits. She was going to need help.

"OZPIN!" I heard an unearthly shout. Shit, Hazel.

"Juane, Wiess needs help." I informed, reforming Chastiefol into its first form and running to aid my other two teammates. Hazel was ranting to the mini-Ozpin while slamming Nora into the ground, electrocuting her. That was gonna bite him later. Sooner than I expected as my ginger friend threw her attacker off of her.

"Be careful!" Ozpin called to us. "His semblance lets him block out pain. That's how he can inject Dust crystals directly into his body." I flinched at that, but Nora turned and glared.

"I don't need him to hurt." she replied. Hazel roared and charged. "I just need him to GO DOWN!" Roaring her own battle cry, Nora knocked Hazel into the air.

I reacted, sending it to impale him through the side. "Spirit Spear Chastiefol, Third Configuration: Fossilization." I commanded, snapping my fingers. The spear head changed to a twin headed spear with a spearhead shaped like the claws of a crab. As Hazel fell onto it, I smirked. "Sorry, but we need you to stay still for a bit." I said in mock regret.

Nora and Ozpin looked at me in confusion, only to look in awe and slight fear as Hazel was encased in stone. "Amazing." Ozpin gasped.

"Wiess!" I heard Juane call in fear.

two minutes earlier, Wiess's POV

Damn it, there was no end to them! And the sudden appearance of two friends I thought were dead really dented my concentration. Parrying another blow from a bandit, I stabbed him in multiple non-vital places before shoving him back. I heard a shout behind me, followed by the clang of metal on metal. Turning, I saw Juane blocking a swing from another bandit, locking blades with him. Smiling slightly, I reengaged the rest of the dwindling bandits that were attacking. It wasn't long before they were all incapacitated. Or at least, that's what I thought. As I dismissed my knight, a bandit who had the brains to play dead stood before Juane and I noticed and stabbed me straight through the side. My aura broke and I felt blood seep into my dress.

"Wiess!" Juane shouted in fear, kicking the guy away and catching me as I fell from the shock. I heard talking, but I wasn't sure what was being said.

Juane's POV

"She's barely breathing." Ren informed me worriedly. "I...I don't know what we can do."

I looked down at the injured girl. "No. It wasn't supposed to be like this! We just got the ones we lost back, we can't start losing them now." I sobbed. I heard something clang to the floor, and looked to see Wiess' key was damaged. She wouldn't be getting sent to Sanctuary. I had to think. What could I do? I was so focused on what I could do, I didn't notice right away that my aura had begun flowing from me into her.

Wiess gasped, and I kept doing what I was doing, hoping she'd be alright.

Allie's POV

Sekiryuki and Ardonight locked, and Cinder and I glared at each other. Neo tried to take advantage of the lock and sneak around to stab her in the back, but this woman's danger sense was something else as she conjured a second sword of fire to block the attack without her turning. "Tell me, Cinder. Do you know what that sword does to someone's mind in that form?" I asked.

"What do you mean? It hasn't done anything to my mind." Cinder mocked, shoving me back. Well, she still looked like she was as sane as any of us. Maybe it needed a catalyst?

"Opening the Vault." I snapped, holding my hand out. I just hope this was close enough. "Behold Excalibastard!" I shouted, turning the dial to fire a more concentrated beam.

That did something, as Cinder's eyes dilated and her breathing became heavier as she blocked the attack. "Ar...ARTHUR!" she screamed, the sword taking hold. Now I could win.

Ruby's POV

Yang was being overwhelmed, after Ren and Nora assured me no one would get close to our friends, I shot over to block Emerald's attack while Penny blocked Mercury's. "Thanks guys." my sister said, getting to her feet. "You okay?" she asked me.

"No." I replied, glaring. "I'm angry." The three-on-two fight began, and the pair were quickly overwhelmed. Sure, Mercury knocked Crescent Rose out of my hands, but thanks to Allie and my recent training, I was easily able to hold my own until I got my hands on it again. From there it was rather easy to keep them on the defensive.

Emerald's POV

I felt a surge come through the rings Crimson had given the three of us. They were designed to send a signal when one of us was in serious danger as an SOS of sorts. Looking at the gem, I saw it turn red. Cinder! "Mercury!" I called, breaking away from the reaper and her robo-girlfriend. Merc nodded and we ran for the elevator shaft. But a wall of ice suddenly blocked our path. We glared at where the heiress stood with a white lancer hovered above her. I hate to admit it, but she looked rather majestic surrounded in blue like that.

I clenched my teeth as the SOS surge faded. "It doesn't matter. Cinder will come up with the relic at any moment." I snapped. We heard the elevator rise, and I turned around hopefully.

But it wasn't Cinder that came up. It was Team ANTI, holding the relic. No. No, it couldn't be true. My semblance activated on its own, and before I knew it I was unconscious.

Allie's POV

"Let them go." I ordered, jumping down and sliding against the ice wall. Mercury grabbed Emerald and ran just as soon as her illusion faded. I looked at the Hazel statue, wondering absently if that would fade overtime or if Pyrrha would have to undo it herself, as well as what effect it would have on the storyline. Meh, mystery for another day.

"Wh-what was that?" Weiss asked.

"An illusion, but an accurate one." Ozpin replied. "That was Salem."

"Oh great, you're here." I muttered, glaring at the reincarnated man. "Atlas is the next target. We should be ready to move out later." I declared, looking to the opening door. "But first, I think we need to welcome back our last missing member." I chuckled.

Everyone looked toward the door, seeing Blake enter. "H-hey guys." she greeted. To my relief, she was welcomed warmly.

...

"Allie." I heard my fellow catgirl call to me that night, just before I followed Neo to bed. I turned to her with an unamused look. "Well?" she asked.

Knowing what she was asking, I looked into her amber eyes, searching. I smiled. "Welcome back, Blake. Nya~" I giggled, heading in to spend the first night in far too long with my girlfriend.

 _ **And done! This concludes the Vol 5 arc of Catgirl Gamer on Remnant. So...what did people think? Good? Bad? Thank the gods Allie's back in action? Leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see everyone next time!**_

 _ **PS: I'll be working on an M rated three-shot about the night the Arkos, Nuts and Dolts, and Neocat couples are gonna have next, so be on the lookout.**_


	52. Prepearing for Argus

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I woke up slowly as I felt Neo cuddle into my side. I smiled, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead before closing my eyes and cuddling my girlfriend. I checked the time display on my HUD, we didn't have to be functional for another couple hours, so I let myself drift off again, happy to have my girlfriend back in my arms.

...

I sighed as we all met in the living room after breakfast. Ozpin looked nervous, Qrow looked bored, and everyone else just looked anxious. "So, what do you want to know?" I asked dryly.

"Why did you not return the relic to its vault?" Ozpin asked.

"It's safer with me." I replied. "I broke level 150 while everyone was wandering Remnant, so unless Crimson or Salem herself are my opponents, I can beat anyone back at least three-on-one."

"But the vault can only be opened by the power of-" Oz argued.

"The Spring Maiden." I finished. "So if we put it back, Salem just has to wait a couple centuries until she's been forgotten again and convince that Spring Maiden to get the relic. Great plan, Oz."

"Hey, the sarcasm isn't necessary." Qrow snapped.

"I don't want to hear it Qrow." I snapped, turning. "And before anyone else asks questions, I have one for you, Ozpin. Why the hell didn't you listen? I told you, I told you exactly how to stop the Fall of Beacon. Why the hell did Ironwood not know about the virus on board his own damned ship? Why didn't you deploy the defenses I put in place? Why _the hell did you bring Pyrrha to that chamber when I expressly told you not to?"_ I shouted the last part, catching most of the others off guard.

"Professor?" Ruby asked.

Ozpin met my gaze, "I fail to see why you're so upset about that last one. Miss Nikos is clearly alive and-"

"Because of _my_ precautions. _My_ tech. Had I not been here, Pyrrha would have died. And I don't want to think of what could have happened to Penny. So why? Why did you ignore me when I gave you everything you needed to beat back Salem and prevent this whole fiasco?" I shouted.

"I made a mistake." Oz conceded, "But what happened, happened. We cannot change the past."

"No matter how much you may want to, eh Ozuma?" I mocked, causing the reincarnated man to flinch. I backed off, my anger sated for now as I looked over my friends. "Anyone else? I promise I'm calm now."

"What next?" Ruby asked.

"Atlas is the next target. We need to get there." I replied.

"But how?" Wiess questioned. "Atlas has closed it's borders. We won't be getting in easily."

"I have a way in." I shrugged.

"Of course you do." the ice queen sighed.

"What's the plan?" Juane asked.

"I called Roman before I came here." I replied, earning a groan from Qrow and a small smile from Neo and Ruby. "He's in Argus on business, now that Vale is in a decent enough state for him to step away. We meet him there, he can get us in."

"Great, we're putting our trust in a criminal." Qrow complained. I glared at him, causing him to make a zipping motion across his lips.

"I'm gonna check to see when the trains to Argus head out and we can plan from there." I concluded, making for the door.

' _I'll come too.'_ Neo said, following me.

"NO!" I shouted, making my girlfriend flinch before I collected myself and leaned in to whisper in her ear. "I don't know how far away Adam is. I need you to keep an eye on Blake for a little longer." She nodded, still looking slightly hurt at my outburst. I flinched at the thought of hurting my beloved, but I really couldn't have her along. After all, the train station wasn't my only stop.

Ilia's POV

While Allie was gone, Yang and I went for a walk, curious about the city. Neo informing us of the seedier parts of town, we left to sightsee. "So. We did it." I stated.

Yang smiled. "Yeah, we did. Didn't we?" she replied. "Although I thought a few of us would end up being little more than a _Cinder_ when it was over."

I rolled my eyes. "That one was a bit of a stretch." I commented.

"Yeah, not my best. I guess I really _Mistraled_ my chance." Yang joked. That time I laughed.

"Better." I admitted, looking around and seeing a small group of various stores. "Care for some window shopping?" I asked, pointing out the cluster.

"Sure, let's window shop till we drop." I laughed again at the blonde beauty's joke before leading her through the stores, pointing out the occasional interesting item. Yang was smiling the whole way, right until her look turned confused. "What's up?" I asked.

"Isn't that Allie?" Yang asked, pointing through the window of a jewelry shop. I looked to see the familiar face of my team leader looking over something.

What would she be doing here of all places? "You don't think?" I asked.

"It is possible." Yang replied before a smirk fell on her face. "Wanna spy on her?"

"I don't know." I replied mischievously. "I can do it easily enough, but can you even hide with all that muscle and hair?"

"I'll have you know I'm great at stealth!" Yang cried in mock indignation. "I just prefer causing a ruckus." We shared a laugh before seeing Allie leave the store with a smile on her face. "Looks like we missed our chance. Oh well, let's go back to window shopping." my companion suggested. I nodded, both of us continuing with our day.

Neo's POV

I'm not gonna lie and say I wasn't upset Allie didn't want me along, especially since that Adam thing sounded like a thinly veiled excuse. There was no way he'd try something with so many people around. He'd wait till Blake was alone. Was there something wrong? Did I do something? I felt a presence next to me, and looked to see Pyrrha. "Something wrong?" she asked.

 _'Just a little upset about Allie's outburst. I'm worried I did something that made her upset.'_ I replied.

"Knowing that cat, not possible." the spartan replied. I looked at her questioningly. "Neo, while we were in Sanctuary, if she wasn't working on Penny or helping me train, she was complaining that she missed you. Like she was the only one separated from the one she loved in that city."

I giggled. That sounded like my kitten. _'But then why didn't she want me coming along?'_ I asked.

Suddenly Pyrrha wouldn't meet my gaze. "W-well. Maybe she went out to look for a gift to surprise you?" she suggested. I narrowed my gaze, but the spartan didn't break.

' _Pyrrha, you know something.'_ I declared.

"It's not my place to say, Neo. Suffice to say we'll all know by the time we've left Argus. Probably after seeing Roman if I had to guess." Pyrrha replied, standing and walking back into the house. I was confused. Why would everyone know what Allie was planning by the time we left Argus. And what about Roman? Alone with my thoughts, I considered the possibilities, blushing at where my mind went. There was no way. That couldn't be it.

Right?

 _ **And done! Small chapter before getting back to the main story. So what did people think? And while I'm sure you can guess what Allie's planning, I didn't hide it all that well, I ask you keep it to yourself so as not to spoil the surprise to those who didn't notice the hints. That said, I can't exactly stop you from reviewing with your thoughts like I've been asking all this time, right? Well, see everyone next time!**_


	53. Trecherous Trainride Part 1

_**Time to board the train, and we all know how this goes.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I sat hand-in-hand with Neo, curious when Ruby would come back. She had run off a little while ago to get something, not that I was really paying attention. I really was not looking forward to this. It had been two weeks since Haven, and everyone was happily reacquainted. Very happily in some cases if that morning after glow was anything to go on.

"So, why are we taking the train again? Can't we just go to Sanctuary and warp from there?" Juane asked.

"There's been an issue with the gate." I explained. "The GM is sorting it out, but until he does if I open a Path, it comes back out right where I entered." The whole thing really bugged me, especially since Ozpin didn't like the idea of me holding onto the relic. I would have said screw him, but I was outvoted. Now the damned relic was strapped to his belt. Meh, it would be mine before long.

I heard a zoom and turned to see an eager Ruby bouncing on her feet with a very goofy smile. "And?" Yang asked eagerly.

Ruby proudly presented a small bag of what I was pretty sure were souvenirs. Wiess rolled her eyes. "What a complete waste of time." she sighed.

"What did you get me?" Yang asked, eyes shining like a kid at Christmas.

"You'll have to wait and see.~" Ruby sang.

"No fair!" her sister complained, making a grab for the bag as Ruby stuck her tongue out. I tuned out what Nora was saying and turned my attention back to Neo, who was hovering between sleep and consciousness. Smiling and tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear, I turned my attention back to the others.

"But we will be one step closer to Atlas." Ren was saying.

"Well I'm glad you're all excited." Weiss scoffed. "But I don't think you all appreciate the trouble I went through to _leave_ Atlas."

"I'm not exactly enthusiastic about it myself." I retorted, waving my tail in irritation as my ears flattened against my head.

"Me neither. It's been a lifetime since I was there, but I still wish I never went." Ilia added, literally turning blue. Probably thinking about her parents. I was pleasantly surprised to se Yang put a comforting arm around my faunus teammate. Maybe there is still something I can do while we're on the train ride.

"I know you're worried Wiess, but trust us." Ruby promised, "Team RWBY won't leave your side for a second." Wiess smiled in appreciation.

"No one's gotta be worried with us around." came a voice arrogant enough to put Gilgamesh to shame. I saw two men with weapons approaching and sighed. Haven Huntsmen.

"And you are?" Nora asked.

"Why Dee and Dudley," Dee said, gesturing to his partner as he did. "The Argus Limited' s very own huntsmen."

"Slip." I muttered, flicking a rock infused with magic between their feet. Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb fell on their faces, making everyone laugh. "Why don't you go play Huntsmen somewhere else?" I asked dryly. "The Black Cat of Beacon is protecting this train."

"The Black Cat, huh?" Dee scoffed. "Yeah right, a little animal like you has no chance against-" Neo's blade was at his throat in the next instant.

I chopped her in the head. "Down girl. Karma will bite these two in the ass." I ordered, smirking. "Especially since someone left the staff entrance caboose door open. These morons will lose their job before it even starts."

Dudley looked back, then at his companion. "I didn't do it!" he denied. The two walked off, arguing.

Oscar laughed a bit, and I grinned. "You know," the boy said, catching everyone's attention, "sometimes the burden of saving the world gets overwhelming. Then people like that come along and make me grateful that it's our job and not theirs." Everyone laughed at that, nodding their agreement.

Qrow came over, curious at the laughter but not commenting as he asked, "We all ready? Bike packed up?"

"Just waiting on Blake, as usual." Weiss replied, smiling to show she was joking.

Blake's POV

Where was he? He said he'd be here to see me off, but he's late. "Sun, where the hell are you?"

"Oh, He's right here." I heard from behind me, causing me to jump and spin around. I rolled my eyes and glared at him. "What?" he asked innocently. "You didn't think I was gonna miss your big sendoff, did you?"

Neptune appeared from behind the adorable monkey faunus and said, "He definitely overslept and accidentally almost missed this." I giggled as Sun shushed his friend. "Hey Blake." the blue-haired teen greeted me before looking at Sun, "Now would you hurry up? Need I remind you we have our own trip to plan?"

As Neptune stepped back, finding some helpless girl to seduce, I leaned against the banister with Sun. "So you're really going to Vacuo?" I asked.

"That's right. Seeing reunited with the rest of Team RWBY made me realize something, I'm like the worst team leader ever." he declared, causing me to smile and roll my eyes as I remembered saying something similar on the boat ride to Menagerie. "Me and the boys were cool with a little hiatus, but we've got to make up for lost time. Shade Academy's not dealing with any problems like Haven right now, plus that means I can show the guys around my old stomping grounds."

I giggled as I stood straight. "I have to admit, I think I was kinda getting used to having you around."

"I go where I'm needed." Sun declared with a dramatic pose. I almost laughed, and he smiled at me. "And you don't need me anymore." he finished. I smiled tenderly, kissing his cheek before backing up.

"I'll see you later, Sun. My gut and my fellow catgirl assure me this isn't the last we'll see of each other." I said, waving as I went to join my friends.

I heard him call after me. "You're with who you're supposed to be, enjoy it!" I turned back and waved, a smile on my face as I boarded the train with my own team, JNPR, ANTI, and Penny.

Allie's POV

The ride was mostly uneventful. Each Team had its room, and I heard Qrow say he was bunking with Oscar and Penny. I almost laughed when Ruby threatened her uncle if he did anything to scare her girlfriend. Something along the lines of, "If Penny doesn't terminate you, I will." It was freaking hilarious.

"Hey boss," I snapped out of my thoughts to turn to Tara. "Should we just have Neo steal the relic? I don't know about you, but I'm not exactly interested in having a-" the train shook. "Chimera swarm on top of me." she finished dryly, grabbing Silico Shot from her bedside and running into the narrow hall, the rest of us close behind.

Getting up to the roof of the train, I glared at the chimeras approaching. I heard footsteps behind me and saw Qrow and RWBY joining the fray. I looked back to the grimm approaching. "Looks like we're gonna have some fun today after all." I giggled, pulling my Corrosive Teapot from my leg-holster and flipping the burst-fire on before aiming at the closest grim, pulling the trigger. The DAHL pistol fired three shots, each hitting their mark and the chimera dropped as my third shot went into its eye and melted its brain. My HUD flashed.

 **New Quest**

 **Protect the train until you reach Argus()**

 **+Kill 30 Chimeras 1/30()**

Shit, there were thirty of these things? "Give em hell!" I ordered, firing at another chimera. Chaos erupted as RWBY joined the fray. I saw the Haven Huntsmen from before, but one got himself eaten. I shot at the chimera that had grabbed him, but I couldn't hit any critical points from where I was standing so the shots weren't killer. The other one rushed past me, doing something with his scroll as more chimeras attacked. Neo was knocking any that came after her away, while Ilia, Yang, and Blake triple teamed another one. Qrow was cutting the red-eyed bastards up with Ruby and Weiss doing just as good. But those things still had enough numbers to blot out the sun.

"Spirit Spear Chastiefol, fifth configuration: Increase!" I heard a shout just before blades swarmed the sky. Pyrrha.

"Opening the Vault! Let's fly BNK3R!" I heard Nora scream before electricity joined the mix. Multiple foldable longswords came next. Looks like the battle's been joined. I got enough breathing room to survey the area. Wait, not all those turret shots were coming from Nora. That idiot.

"What can I do to help?" I heard someone call next to me.

Turning to see Oscar, I called back, "Get that dumbass to shut off the turrets! They're attracting the grimm to the passengers!" the boy nodded, running down the train to complete his task. Chimeras landed next to me, and I drew Sekiryuki. "Alright then, I'll play with you for a little while." I taunted, cutting one down the middle and parrying a blow from another one.

Then, to my confusion, the chimeras backed off. Wait a second, I remember this. "Tunnel!" Oscar warned, causing everyone to dive for cover inside the train.

...

"Shit shit shit." I muttered, storming up to Oscar. "The relic, now. If I put it in the Vault, these things may back off." I snapped, holding out my hand.

Oscar's eyes glowed, and Ozpin shook his head. "Even I did, there are too many scared people here now."

"Ren plus Juane equals train completely masked." I argued. "The relic. Now. I won't ask again."

"What is she talking about, Oz?" Qrow asked.

"The grimm can also track this." Ozpin replied, gesturing to the lamp around his waist.

"Why wouldn't you tell us something like that?" Yang demanded.

"It doesn't matter right now." Ruby snapped, turning to me. "Will the energy signature disappear if you put it in the Vault?" she asked.

"It'll be in another dimension. There won't be anything outside the Vault to track." I replied.

Ruby nodded, turning to Ozpin and holding out her hand. "The relic, Ozpin." she requested.

Still he hesitated. I lost my patience. "Black Panther Grapple." I snarled, the panther tail taking the relic from Ozpin's belt. "Opening the Vault." I snapped, the portal appearing. I stuffed the damned lantern into the portal and closed it, turning to everyone else. "Get everyone to the front cars." I ordered him. "Team ANTI, with me. We have to keep the grimm off Ren until he and Juane are ready." I called behind me. I just hoped this gamble would pay off.

 _ **And done! Well, what did people think? And before anyone complains, Jinn will still be summoned, just not in the same circumstances as cannon. Now the question is will this gamble of our lovable Gamer really pay off? Well, leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	54. Trecherous Trainride Part 2

_**Everyone ready?**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I stood at the back of the train, my team behind me, our weapons drawn. I admit some of my motives for doing things this way were a little selfish. I was three grimm away from getting my bonus objective, and I was about to pull up to level 155. Then as the grimm followed us out of the tunnel, I had a horrible realization. The "Kill 30 Chimeras" objective wasn't so much a "Kill the thirty chimeras attacking" so much as a "kill 30 _of_ the chimeras that are attacking. "As soon as they get within range, take them down. No mercy."

The three grimm I needed were killed pretty quickly, then the damned notification thing pinged.

 _ **New Objective: Kill Elder Chimera()**_

Crap on a cracker, that's the really big one, isn't it? Sighing, I continued to cut through the grimm, but the flow just didn't seem to stop. It was a massive black wave.

BANG!

I smirked as a chimera head exploded. Guess RWBY couldn't stand to sit back while we had all the fun. Between Wiess turning them into popsicles, Yang blowing them up with _more_ of the singularity bullets she stole from me, Ruby sniping them, and Blake slicing and ditching, the chimera flow died down to almost nothing. That was when the big one landed and let out a screech. I **Analyzed** it and cringed at what I saw.

 **Elder Chimera**

 **LV. 150**

 **HP: 260000/260000**

Shit. This thing was only four levels lower than me? And it was basically a field boss, so it had more than enough strength to make up for those missing four levels. "Wild Charge!" I shouted, hoping Ilia heard me. I rushed the grimm, loading a lightning crystal and charging Sekiryuki's blade. Ilia's Rainbow Fang lashed out from the other side, also crackling with electricity, and the Elder Chimera screeched in pain before taking off into the sky, trying to divebomb me. "I need it grounded!" I called to the rest.

"On it!" I heard Blake shout. "Yang, Ilia!" she called, setting her Gambol Shroud to pistol mode. Yang fired her guantlets, giving her the propulsion she needed to slide under the Elder Chimera as Blake threw her weapon, the blonde brawler catching it and pulling the ribbon tight as she planted the blade into the train roof. Ilia's Rainbow Fang flew under the grimm's stomach and to Blake, who tied the whip around her ribbon.

"Wiess, Tara!" Ruby and I shouted. A lightning bolt severed one wing while the other was frozen solid. Elder Chimera screeched in pain and rage as I got back to my feet. Grinning, I set Sekiryuki for a charging slash. "Sword Stance, Mitsurugi." I muttered, hoping it was the right call, **Analyzing** the field boss to see that it had lost a good portion between the vice-grip of the bumblebee duo and Ilia, but it wasn't enough. I fired Corrosive Teapot on burst fire three times, bringing the grimm's HP down further. Ruby shot it from the other side and it was in its last couple thousand HP. The Elder Chimera reared back on its hind legs, and Ruby and I moved, her spinning like the world's deadliest top, and I cut the thing with the strongest downward slash I could muster. The two halves fell onto the train roof, but the fireball the grimm had been charging I didn't notice before fired, smashing into the train cars ahead of us. Wiess acted fast, summoning gravity glyphs but something felt wrong.

That something was rather obvious when we all started slowing down. I looked down. Someone had cut the cable connecting the caboose to the rest of the train. Unattached to the main train, the caboose started shaking before tipping off the track. "Oh crap!" I screamed, grabbing Neo and doing what I could to shield her with my body. I could take a fall from fifty times this height and walk away relatively fine, but I wasn't so sure about her and if I'm being honest, I just wanted to protect her.

We landed hard in the snow, the caboose just inches from squashing us. I opened my eyes to see Neo's mismatched brown and pink eyes looking back. "I'm alright." I assured her. "You?" I asked. Neo nodded, getting up and helping me to my feet. I looked around, not being able to see much but white. Suddenly worried, my hand flew to my pocket, where I felt a small box resting. Sighing I hadn't lost it, I turned my attention back to my friends. "Everyone alright?" I called.

"We're fine." Ruby called back, standing. Yang and Blake answered soon after.

Then I heard an unfamiliar voice. "Still alive!" the old voice called. I turned to see a woman who looked seriously old, maybe eighty-five, with robotic eyes, silver hair, and brown skin walk out of the caboose with, to my surprise, Oscar and Qrow close behind. "That was a close one, wasn't it?" the old lady, who I realized was Maria Calavera, asked cheerfully. I giggled. Back when this was all a series to me, I really liked Maria. She was the sassy granny who you just couldn't help but want to confide in.

I looked to Oscar and Qrow. "Care to explain?" I asked dryly.

"I saw her come toward the caboose, and thought it wise to follow her. Qrow saw what I was doing and came with me." Oh, Ozpin was still in control. Qrow didn't say anything, looking dizzy from the fall...or maybe his booze. Either way, Ozpin walked right up to me. "Since the people aren't in any danger, I would like the relic back." he requested.

"Why?" I asked. "It's still untraceable to the grimm as long as it's in the Vault." I was genuinely confused, wondering why Ozpin would want to have the relic back. It hit me like the fall down here. "You haven't told them." I guessed. Oz flinched, and I knew I hit the mark. "Oz, trust is a two-way street. They need to know exactly what they're up against."

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, her sister and my fellow catgirl coming up next to her. Looks like Wiess and the rest were still on the train. Makes sense, only the five of us were on the back car when it was going down. I distinctly remembered Tara and Ilia hopping to the next one up. But the question still remained, who had cut the cable?

"Nothing you need concern yourselves with." Oz dismissed, his eyes not leaving mine. "Miss Rouge, the relic, if you'd please."

I glared at him. "Fine, but you have to tell them first." I bargained. "They won't turn on you. Believe me. They're not like Leo."

"Do you really think he was the first?" Oz demanded angrily. "That he didn't say those exact same words to me?" I sighed, knowing the answer to that question.

"Of course he wasn't. That was your homicidal ex herself." I replied. "But after everything we just went through, everything we're going to go through still because of this war, they deserve the truth. Or do you still think you know better than the one who knows the story beyond this point?"

"They have no need to know." Oz argued. "My behavior is backed by experience. I don't think they'll betray me, but I have reasons for the things I do, the secrets I keep. "

"Opening the Vault." I snapped, grabbing the relic. "Bet you didn't know I knew how to use this." I mocked. Ozpin's eyes widened, and he lunged for the lantern. I dodged out of the way and said the name. "Jinn." The snow froze in place, suspended in time. Everyone looked around in confusion, and the giant blue naked lady appeared.

Jinn stretched, smiling at us. "Wonderful." She declared. Everyone but me stared at her in open-mouth awe. Can't say I didn't do the same the first time I watched this episode. "Tell me, what knowledge do you seek?" the astral being requested. When no one asked anything, she continued, "I am Jinn, a being created by the god of light to aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. I've been graced with the ability to answer three questions every 100 years. You're in luck, as I am still able to answer-"

"That's enough!" Ozpin demanded.

"Two questions this era." Jinn finished, ignoring the interruption. Everyone glared at Ozpin. Guess he told them he had used the questions up. Idiot. "It's a pleasure to see you again, old man." Jinn greeted.

"Allie, please stop this." Oz begged me. I snorted.

"Payback's a bitch." I replied, turning to Ruby. "But I'll leave it up to Little Red."

"Hey," Qrow began, taking a step forward. Everyone but Ruby pointed their weapons at the old crow, and he backed off. "Do whatever you think is right, kiddo." he finished, holding his hands up in surrender.

I sheathed Sekiryuki, turning to the reaper. "Jinn." Ruby began, turning to the astral. Everyone, including me, awaited her decision. "What is Ozpin hiding?"

"NO!" Oz roared, charging without his weapon, without his aura active. He was a dying beast lunging for one last desperate attack. But the question had been asked, and all our visions turned white.

 _ **And done! Well, I'm not going to go over Salem's whole backstory, if you want it, go to The Lost Fable (Vol 6 Episode 3). Other than that, what did people think? Leave a review with your thoughts, and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	55. That's how it is

_**Well, I'm sure you've all wondered about her fate so here you go.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Two weeks earlier Cinder's POV

I broke the surface of the lake, gasping for breath as my back ached, and my dress weighed me down. I pulled myself to shore, and looked up. That hadn't been fun. And what that sword did to me. I shivered at the total loss of control. Crimson had to have known it would do that. He set me up. I stood, looking around. I had to get back to Emerald and Mercury, let them know I'm okay. No, Salem would know. Salem always knew if her subordinates were alive or dead.

I started walking into the cavern. I had to get out of here, find Ruby and her friends. I found a decent outfit to keep myself hidden, though not very fashionable. Seriously, was that beige? Forcing down my fashion sense, I grabbed the garment and threw it on, pulling up the hood. I thought about what I had been told. Vacuo was Salem's next target. Allie would know that, so they would avoid it for now. After all, Crimson was most likely there and anyone could see she wasn't ready to face her counterpart. So they would be going to Atlas. I considered how they would get there. The answer was obvious. Roman. I had heard the reports of him keeping crime under control in Vale while the reconstruction efforts moved forward.

I thought about the best course. It was probably Argus. It wouldn't be hard to find an Atlas Bullhead and get through the border. My plan set, I began heading moving through Mistral, wondering if I could sneak aboard one of the trains. Or I could just steal some money and buy a ticket. And some sort of bandages to hide my grimm arm.

Allie's POV

"Salem can't be killed, you all heard that too, right?" Yang asked. I decided to keep my mouth shut for now. My current mood would only make them angrier. Oz tried to talk, but Yang wouldn't let him. "There was so much you haven't told us!" she snarled. "How could you think that that was okay?"

Oz didn't reply, and Ruby spoke next. "Professor, what is your plan to defeat Salem?" she asked, sounding colder than the snow around us.

"I-I don't have one." Oz admitted.

I spoke up. "Luckily for us all, I do." I informed. Everyone looked at me, waiting for my explanation. "Three actually. One I don't have the item I need yet, one is here with us, and one Pyrrha has."

"What do you mean? What is here with us." Blake demanded.

"Think about the grimm stuck on the top of Beacon Tower. Who put it in its unfortunate state?" I asked. Everyone looked at Ruby. "As for the Pyrrha bit, I think Hazel is still stuck at Haven." I continued. I sighed as I thought about my last plan. "And until we fin a dungeon with a Medusa in it, I can't do the last one."

"Do you think it will work?" Oz asked, almost hopeful.

"I think it's better than what we had before I summoned Jinn." I replied with a shrug, glancing at Yang's bike resting in the snow. "We need to get moving. Come on."

But apparently we weren't done yet, as Qrow punched Ozpin hard enough to send him flying into a tree. "No one wanted me." he hissed. "I was cursed. I gave my life to you because you gave me a place in this world." Qrow wouldn't even look at the man older than time. "I thought I was finally doing some good! "

Tearing up a bit, Oz said, "But you are."

Qrow kept talking. "Meeting you was the worst luck of my life."

I actually felt sorry for Ozpin. Couldn't say I'd be much less broken if Neo said something like that to me. Or any of my friends really. Ozpin's horror striken face was all he could manage for a second. "Maybe you're right." he admitted, and Oscar took his place. The farm boy held his cheek in pain.

"What happened?" Ruby asked.

"He's...gone." Oscar replied.

"THAT BASTARD!" Yang screamed. "Tell him we're not done yet!"

"No good, he won't respond." I said, completely bored with the drama. "We need to get moving. Even without the relic, all this discontent is going to attract grimm." I shouldn't have used the relic out in the open like this. I acted on impulse rather than think things through. Damn, Oz really got to me with his behavior.

"The cat is right!" Calavera snapped, approaching the rest of us. "It's going to be dark soon, and the lot of you are just spewing negativity." She helped Oscar to his feet before pointing her (seriously cool looking) cane. "There's a trail over there. Trails usually lead somewhere." I giggled. That was so something I would say, in that exact tone. Have I mentioned I like this old woman?

"Lady," Yang hissed, "I don't know who you think you are, but-"

"No buts!" Calavera snapped, slamming her cane into the snow. "I understand that your upset. Honestly, I'm still coming to terms with the fact that this is humanity's second time around. But, if we don't move, we die. And I'll be damned if I lived this long just to die out here in the cold!" I giggled despite the situation. You just had to love this old lady's sass.

"She's right." Ruby declared.

"Glad we're in agreement, now let's get moving! Nya~" I sang happily, taking point on the trail as Yang retrieved her bike, Neo fell into step beside me, and everyone just started following in a tense silence after gathering supplies from the wreckage.

Emerald's POV

Mercury and I returned to Salem's castle, and after a confrontation with Tyrian, the two of us stood before Salem. "I would like the two of you to explain to me how you failed so spectacularly." Salem said evenly.

"The faunus militia split our forces, and we had some zombies crash the party as well." Mercury explained.

"Stop." Salem ordered in that same even tone. It made me shiver. "Let me rephrase the question. Who is responsible for your defeat?"

I knew what she was getting at, but I wasn't going to take it lying down. "If Crimson had given Cinder a sword that could really beat that damned cat, this wouldn't have happened!" I snapped before I could stop myself. I noticed Crimson flinch as Salem turned to him.

"Explain." Salem ordered.

"I gave her a Noble Phantasm I had gotten from a dungeon run." the Gamer replied. "I thought the sword would give Cinder the edge she needed to defeat the Black Cat. I underestimated my counterpart, though. I take full responsibility for what happened in that vault."

Salem stood, flipping over the table as she did so and knocking Tyrian to the ground. "But that isn't fair, now is it? Perhaps it wasn't that you underestimated your counterpart, but you failed to mention the extra effect?"

"That would have only triggered if there was some tie to King-" Crimson argued, stopping before cursing. "Excalibastard. That little bitch found a loophole." he realized. I remembered that gun. Allie had used it in the Festival. That was the trigger? Crimson was set upon by long black arms, and they pulled him to the ground. "I can fix this. I know where they're going next!"

"I don't care! Thanks to you and her both, our mission failed, and now Cinder must find a way to redeem herself. As do you." Salem's words registered. Cinder was alive? My heart soared. She was alive. "Leave us!" Salem ordered. We all vacated the room, leaving the Gamer to his fate.

Allie's POV

We walked for hours, just following the trail. No one really said a word. I could tell that everyone was still upset about what they had seen, but they had a right to know. As we continued to walk, the blizzard not easing up. There was a little bit of argument when Qrow pointed that fact out, but Ruby called for quiet. I listened in, hearing a creaking. We continued forward, coming to what looked like... a farm? This seemed familiar.

And I didn't like it.

 _ **I freely admit, if Neo hadn't come back, Calavera would have been my favorite character of Vol 6. Her sass just makes me laugh. Anyway, what did people think? Good? Bad? Not enough? Leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	56. Danger on the farm part 1

_**Time for some real trouble.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I helped Calavera start the fire. I was still puzzling over what about this place seemed so familiar. Brunswick Farm. I knew that name. But try as I might, I couldn't remember. It was so frustrating! I felt a tap on my shoulder, and looked up to see Ruby. "Everything alright?" she asked. Something was wrong though. Her eyes looked...dull.

"No, I know I'm forgetting something about this place. Something important. But I just can't figure out what." I replied angrily.

"Well, I'm sure it will come to you." Ruby replied with an indifferent shrug. "I'm going to borrow your girlfriend and explore the house." she informed me. I nodded, and the reaper left.

"Maybe you should stop thinking about it so hard." Calavera suggested, grabbing a book from the dusty table and opening it. "Instead of forcing it, let it come to you naturally."

I sighed, nodding. "Maybe it's for the best." I admitted, sitting back and checking my HUD. About an hour ago, I had gotten a quest completion notification, leveling up and getting a new quest at the same time

 **Separated**

 **Lead your party to Argus()**

 **Find Roman()**

 **Get to Atlas()**

I sighed. The quest was aptly named, I had to give it that. We had lost most of our party, but gained what was basically the best character introduced to Volume six. Oh yeah, "Hey Calavera, your eyes need fixed, right?" I asked.

"That's right. Why?" the silver-haired woman asked, squinting at me.

"If you'll let me, I can fix them right up and have them back to you by morning." I offered. It would get my mind off the farm mystery. It looked like a basic Atlas vision enhancement device, so it shouldn't be too hard. The tech I played with on a daily basis is lightyears ahead of theirs anyway. Calavera nodded, coming over and laying on the couch. "Are they implanted?" I asked, earning a nod. Slight hiccup, but nothing I couldn't work with. Casting a quick Snooze spell I had learned for just such an occasion, Calavera was out like a light and I summoned my tools from my inventory, which I realized I don't use all that often ever since I got the Vault. Huh, weird. Anyway, I set to work, fixing the eyes of who used to be the Grim Reaper.

Neo's POV

Ruby and I explored the house, not finding much until we got to the cellar. We saw all the alcohol, and I wasn't surprised to hear Ruby say, "We should probably lock this room up."

I nodded, pulling out my scroll. _'Worried about your uncle?'_ I guessed.

Ruby sighed. "I just don't know how well he's taking this." she replied. Nodding my agreement, I found a chain as well as a padlock. Smiling in triumph, I helped Ruby lock the cellar up.

We were headed back to the living room when I noticed something wrong. While everyone was accounted for, they all had this dead look in their eyes. Was this because of what they had found out? Maybe, I didn't feel any different, at least. And I already knew about Salem since Allie and I don't keep secrets from each other. Even still, I couldn't shake the feeling there was something more to it. I came to sit next to Allie, who was doing some repair work on Maria's eyes if her grunts of annoyance were anything to go on.

"There we go. All better." she said after a second, turning right to me. "So, anything interesting?" she asked.

I shook my head, gesturing her to follow me as I made for the kitchen. _'Does something seem off about the others?'_ I asked.

"You noticed too?" Allie replied seriously. I nodded and she sighed. "To be honest, I don't know what's wrong. I'm sure it has something to do with what I'm forgetting though." I nodded again. She was usually right about these types of things. Allie yawned, stretching. "Well, I'm getting sleepy. You coming to bed or are you going to stay up for a bit?" she asked.

I smiled. ' _Yeah, I think it's time I turn in too.'_ I replied, following my loving girlfriend up the stairs.

Allie's POV

I smiled as I woke up to Neo cuddled into me. I loved waking up like this. Careful not to wake her, I reached for my scroll to check the time. Eight in the morning. We had agreed to leave at around nine, which meant I had to wake Neo up. Sighing, I managed to get a clear path to her lips and kissed her awake. Neo yawned, smiling at me. "Morning love." I whispered.

' _Morning.'_ she replied. ' _Guess it's time to_ _go?'_ I nodded, and we got ready for the day. I had to wake the others too, but before long we were all standing in the front courtyard area, ready to head out.

Well, almost all of us. "Where's Qrow?" Oscar asked.

Ruby sighed, turning back to the house. "I'll go look for him." she declared.

"I'll come with." I offered quickly, alarm bells going off in my head. Turning to Neo, I mouthed, "Watch them" before following the reaper inside. We found Qrow in the wine cellar, drunk as usual. "Qrow, we're ready to head out." I informed, shaking him. I think that was about when I felt that strange wave wash over me. Whatever it was, Gamer's Mind shut it down, but I noticed the dull look in Ruby's eyes. She looked so...apathetic. Apathetic. Shit.

I know what I was forgetting.

 _ **Well, looks like things are about to get interesting. Oh, and I forgot to mention it in my last chapter, but since the whole "black box in my pocket" thing pretty much exposed the secret, feel free to fanboy/fangirl about it. So, what did people think? Good? Bad? Leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	57. Danger on the farm part 2

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I pulled Qrow to his feet and up the stairs, slightly panicking as we exited the house. "We need to go, now." I declared. "Everyone not driving get into the trailer."

"What's the hurry?" Yang asked indifferently. How the hell had I forgotten about this? "And what's the point of going to Argus to get to Atlas?" she added.

"We can argue that on the way, now get on your bike." I snapped, checking to make sure we hadn't been followed by that damned horde.

 _'Allie, what's wrong?'_ Neo asked me, concern in her eyes.

"Wait, are you not affected?" I asked, earning a confused look from my girlfriend. That didn't make sense. I had Gamer's Mind going for me, but by all rights, Neo should be under the Apathy's spell just like everyone else.

I guess that's why I didn't notice Blake lean against the well until the stones crumbled under her weight, causing her to fall in. "Blake!" her teammates called, the light back into their eyes. So the spell can be broken by concern for others? Interesting.

"Let's go. I don't want her caught by what's down there." I snapped, dropping Qrow and jumping after the faunus. It stung when I landed about ten seconds later, but I was more concerned for the fact that Blake wasn't anywhere I could see. I heard a small splash behind me and turned to see a rope. Ruby, Yang, Neo, and Calavera slid down, and Qrow decided to transform and fly down, transforming back seamlessly.

"Let's get moving." I ordered, taking the lead as we navigated the tunnels. We searched for a good minute before we heard a scream.

"That was Blake!" Ruby gasped, rushing past me with her semblance.

"And if she screamed she must have run into...shit shit shit!" I muttered, giving chase with the rest of us not far behind. We turned a corner to see Blake, her weapon drawn and about five Apathy grimm moving toward her. "Cat Party Blaster!" I shouted, the thousands of tails pushing them back. "This way!" I shouted, gesturing everyone to where I remembered the tunnels led. That and I could smell the booze from the cellar.

"What the hell are those things?" Yang asked.

"I'll explain later, run." I replied, picking up Calavera as I went. Screeches of the Apathy filled the tunnels, and I could feel Gamer's Mind working overtime to keep their spell at bay. "Everyone stay focused, we're almost out!" I called, looking back to make sure everyone was still with us. They moved fast for such a lethargic species. No, this was more like when zombies found prey and all the corpses in the area knew about it. I saw the cellar door and held out my hand. "Kitten Blast!" I snapped, blasting the door open and quickly ushering the rest into the house. They were looking sluggish. This wasn't good.

 _'That's all of us since Oscar stayed behind. Let's get out of here.'_ Neo informed me. Nodding, we kept to the back of the group while the rest clamored up the stairs. But I forgot I had destroyed the door as we came up and that left us exposed. The Apathy came into the cellar and screeched, causing everyone but me and Neo to drop to the floor. Shit!

"We have to take these things out." I declared, placing a hand on Sekiryuki and getting into a draw stance. "You with me?"

Neo grinned, stepping forward and deploying her blade. ' _Always.'_ she replied.

I smiled, hoping it wouldn't be the last time. My eyes slitted and I glared at the approaching grimm. "Sword Stance: Batosai." I muttered, gripping the hilt of my sword as I lunged at our enemy.

Ruby's POV

I didn't understand, why wasn't I moving? I tried, but my body just wouldn't listen to me. I had to force all of my willpower to crawl to Blake, who was just lying there as mobile as I felt. One of those things managed to slip past Allie, reaching for Blake. No, I couldn't let that happen! "Blake!" I screamed. The room erupted in white and those things screeched in agony. Everyone was up for a second as I slung Blake's arm around my shoulder, picking up Gambol Shroud with the other hand and Weiss got to the top of the stairs.

"It's locked!" Qrow called urgently.

Yang climbed the stairs, pushing past Calavera and those things screeched again. We all dropped like a ton of bricks. "Ruby." I heard Calavera call me, and suddenly two small hands gripped my head. "What color are your eyes?" she demanded.

"Silver." I replied.

"Calavera, tell her what she needs to do quick!" Allie shouted urgently. "Damn it, Sky Blade!" she shouted.

I heard Calavera gasp before she started talking again. "You have a family? Friends?" she demanded.

"What?" I asked. Why was she asking about this when those things were coming closer despite Allie and Neo's best efforts.

"Don't focus on them." Calavera ordered me, forcing me to look at her. "Think about the people who love you. Focus on the thought of them, the way that they make you feel." I was still confused. What was she getting at? "Focus." she repeated. My eyes closed, and the faces of my loved ones started flowing past. Weiss, Yang, Blake, Uncle Qrow. Calavera was still talking. "Life... is beautiful." she was saying. More faces. Juane, Nora, Ren, Pyrrha, Weiss, "It is precious." Ilia, Tara, Dad, Neo, Allie, hell, even Torchwick, "And it must be protected." Penny. She must be worried sick. I have to tell her I'm alright. My eyes flew open, and the room was covered in white. No, not white.

Silver.

Allie's POV

I covered my eyes when Calavera finished her speech, knowing what came next. It didn't help. But at least the Apathy that had been pushing Neo and I back were gone. I heard a bang from Yang's gauntlet and we all ran up the stairs before more could come. "We're back in the house?" Blake gasped.

"No time, we need to go." I responded, pushing everyone out the door and toward Bumblebee. "Get it started! We. Are. Leaving!" I ordered, hearing more Apathy coming our way. I threw a fireball scroll at the house, causing it to burn. Everyone jumped into the trailer as Yang revved the engine on her bike. We all sped off, and I was glad to have gotten away from those damned monsters.

...

We had driven for a good hour before Calavera and I explained what the Apathy were. "But if they drain your will, why weren't Allie and Neo affected?" Ruby asked.

"Well I had Gamer's Mind to keep me from falling victim to their spell." I explained, glancing to my girlfriend, who looked rather spooked by the whole ordeal. "As for why Neo wasn't affected, that's the million lien question." I sighed. How had Neo not fallen prey to the Apathy's ability? I just couldn't figure it out.

Neo tapped my shoulder, showing me her scroll. _'They'd have to try a lot harder than that to drain my will. After all, my will to go on is so I can stay by your side.'_ I blushed slightly before smiling and kissing her tenderly.

Oscar was reading, but I knew what it would say. I didn't pay attention to the conversation, just checking my scroll to see if we were in range of Argus yet. No luck. "Wake me when storytime's over?" I requested. Neo nodded and I laid my head in her lap. I felt Neo's soft hands weave through my hair as I drifted off.

 _ **And done! Well, that happened. And Ruby got a bit of extra time to use her gift thanks to the Black Cat and the Ice Cream Queen. Sorry, no Grimm Reaper story, you can get that in the episode titled "The Grimm Reaper." other than that what did people think? Good? Bad? Leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see you next time!**_


	58. Arrival in Argus

_**Time to rejoin the rest.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Ilia's POV

I glanced at my scroll again, seeing the same thing as the last five times I looked in the past two minutes. No signal from Allie. Or anyone else. I wasn't quite worried yet, but I was getting there. "They're not going to get here any faster, no matter how many times you check your scroll." Ren informed me.

"And yet you've checked even more than I have." I retorted, checking my scroll again.

"Ilia, I get you're worried, but all we can do right now is wait." Pyrrha said. It was her effort to calm me down, but it wasn't working.

My scroll blipped, and I checked to see my leader's smiling face staring back at me. I dialed her number, waiting for the girl to pick up. I heard a yawn before her voice. "Ilia? Why are you calling?" she asked sleepily.

"Allie, where are you? I've been checking the local network since we got separated!" I asked, catching everyone's attention.

"Separated?" the catgirl muttered before her voice became more animated. "Wait, Ilia? Then that means..." a pause, and I could hear multiple cheers before Allie spoke again. "Text me the address, we'll see you soon." she ordered, disconnecting the call.

Allie's POV

Everyone was happy to see us again. Ilia immediately began looking over Blake and Yang for any wounds, Weiss and Tara were lecturing us about how worried they had been, and Penny hug-tackled Ruby, knocking her flat on her ass. We giggled at that before we got serious. Ruby told everyone what Jinn had informed us of, and we sat in silence as our friends digested the information.

Juane punched a wall, earning a concerned cry from Ruby. "Everything we did was for nothing!" he snarled.

"That's not true." Blake argued.

"Really?" Nora asked skeptically. "Cause it sure does sound like it."

"If Salem can't be killed, then how are we supposed to win this?" Ren asked.

I scoffed. "Unkillable and unbeatable are two _very_ different things, Ren." I replied, pushing myself off the wall and sliding my scroll into my pocket. "We've got a possible. ANTI, prep up. We leave after meeting with Roman."

"A possible what?" Juane demanded.

"Possible Plan C material." I replied, scrolling through my inventory. Gonna need to pull out a couple Stone to Flesh scrolls if last time is any indication.

"The Medusa head?" Tara asked. I nodded and she pulled out Silico Shot, checking it over.

"So what? Our plan is to go on a wild goose chase?" Juane snapped.

"No, that's your plan." I retorted. "Mine is to use Ruby's eyes to A) Petrify Salem or B) Purify her. Plan B is to use Chastiefol for the same reasons. Plan C is the Medusa's head, again for the same reasons." Juane glared at me. "Look, I've been planning this since I got here. Run every test, looked at every angle."

"So you already knew?" he demanded.

"Of course I knew! But things weren't supposed to progress to this point!" I snapped angrily, causing everyone to freeze. "This wasn't supposed to be like this. I was supposed to change the story. But I barely changed anything! The Fall still happened, Team RWBY still ended up scattered, and the Haven attack still went like before. If I can't change the story, make it better, then what good am I?" I asked, finally breaking down. I felt Neo's arms wrap around me, and I cried into her shoulder.

"Maybe we should all just take a step back and cool off." Pyrrha suggested. I heard words of agreement, but I just couldn't make myself care enough.

"You've done a lot more good than you realize." Ruby said as she passed me.

...

It had been a couple hours, I had recovered from my breakdown, and we all went to meet with Roman in a warehouse on the outskirts of town. A couple thugs I guessed Roman had posted as guards regarded us with suspicion, but the man himself came around the corner smoking one of his cigars. "Hey guys! Long time no see." he greeted. I saw Neo smile brightly before hug-tackling her father. "Wow Neo, you actually grew since the last time I saw you." the crimelord noted, playfully messing up her hair. "Come on in! We have a lot to talk about."

As we all sat at the giant table in the center of the warehouse, I smiled at the blueprints dryly. "Planning something big?" I asked.

"Oh, just a little heist to get rid of some competition." Roman replied casually, taking another puff of his cigar. "So, what do you guys need from little old me?"

"Transport to Atlas." I replied. "Knowing you, you've already figured out the perfect route to smuggle your less than legal products into the kingdom, and we need to use it to get past the closed borders."

Roman nodded, smirking. "Of course! Easy peasy. Luckily for you, I happen to have a ship heading to Atlas tomorrow morning already. It'll be a tight squeeze, but I'm sure you can make it work."

"Are we really doing this?" I heard Juane mutter.

"Never thought I'd see the day we went to Torchwick for help." That one was Ren.

"If it's tomorrow, do you think we have time to help you tonight?" Ruby? I don't know who was more surprised that _she_ had asked that question.

"W-well I guess it wouldn't hurt." Roman replied, still recovering from the shock no doubt. "But are you sure, Red?"

"I've heard about the 'competition' mentioned in these notes." Ruby replied, holding up one of the papers on the desk. "I'd rather have the devil I know running things around here than someone capable of what these records say."

Ilia smirked. "Finally realizing being a hero means getting your hands a little dirty sometimes?" she teased. Everyone laughed, causing the reaper to blush adorably.

"Alright everyone, quit teasing Red." Roman requested, earning a silent "Thank you" from Ruby. "Now I did have some things I had wanted to do before the big heist, but I didn't have the manpower to get things done. Now here's what I need done." he outlined everything the hunters needed to do, earning nods from everyone as they left the warehouse, leaving me and Neo behind.

"Hey Kitten, we still need to talk about that private matter." I nodded, turning to my girlfriend.

"Go on ahead, I'll catch up." I promised. Neo looked somewhat confused, but nodded and ran to catch up with everyone else. Turning back to Roman, I braced myself for what I needed to say.

"Alright Allie, what's this about?" Roman asked, surprisingly serious.

"W-well, I wanted to a-ask for..." I paused, taking a deep breath and looking Roman in the eye and speaking with more confidence than I felt.. "Look Roman, Neo and I have been together for a while now, and I know there isn't going to be anyone else for me. So...I wanted to ask for your blessing to ask Neo to marry me."

 _ **And done! Feel free to get it out. I know everyone wants to. Otherwise what did you think? Good? Bad? Why the hell am I still asking this? Leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	59. An unexpected mission

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Neo's POV

I was a little confused as to why Allie hadn't wanted me in there when talking with Roman, but as my mind went over the possibilities, I ended up right back to when the last time Allie began behaving strangely (for her anyway) and developed a full-body blush. There was no way. Right? I mean, we have been together for a while, and I really do love her, and we've already slept together many, many, _many_ times. But still, there was no way. Someone would have let it slip that that was what was going on by now. Unless Allie kept it a secret. Only Pyrrha seemed to know for sure, and she wasn't spilling the beans.

Forcing the embarrassing image of me in a wedding dress out of my head, I thought about the heist Roman had planned. Disabling the security system would be easy for Blake, Yang could definitely handle the guards, and JNPR would be the best option for "inside man" since they'd just look like a group of teens partying. No one would suspect those four of helping a robbery, especially since the score was in a safe at the back of a club. Still, I had a bad feeling about this one.

I heard the door creek open and Allie stepped into view, smiling. I smiled back, coming to her side and holding up my scroll. ' _What was that about?'_ I asked.

"Later, love. We need to focus on our dungeon run. Who knows? We may be back in time to make a little mischief." she replied. I pouted slightly at not getting my answer, but I guess she had a point. We did need to focus. Gathering the other half of our team, we left for the dungeon just outside town.

Allie's POV

Another bust. I groaned in frustration before checking the Stage Cleared notification and saw the Medusa was a rare encounter that only had a 2% spawn rate. Damn it all, and my luck was almost in the 300 thousands! Guess I need it a bit higher. We managed to get back just as Team RWBY was starting their portion of the heist. I sent Ilia along with Blake, figuring it was our best bet, and Tara went with JNPR for some distracting fun.

After talking to Roman about what we could do, he informed us that we needed to handle the rather major issue of the cops. Couldn't have them crashing the party too soon. Sighing, I figured it was time to try out my new stealth suit. I snapped my fingers and equipped the "Cooper Thief" outfit I had set up. A blue shirt with matching hat and black and gray striped pants. I had considered putting the raccoon tail on, but I figured my tail would work just as well. Of course I didn't trade out the Cooper Cane for my sword, but pick-pocketing wasn't exactly my thing anyway.

Neo and I split up, aiming to handle our tasks. Frankly, I was surprised we had as much back-up as we did. Who knew Ruby had it in her to offer something like this? Or any of them really. Okay, maybe Nora and Yang, but any of the others. As I entered the club, I took in the area and realized what kind of club this was. Of course, not exactly being shy about circumstances, I didn't break out into a blush or something when I saw the girl on stage shedding her top...At least not until I realized who it was.

What Roman had failed to inform me of is due to one of the strippers being sick(nothing lethal and totally coincidentally), he managed to get Yang in as a substitute. I looked around for JNPR, and saw them with my Maiden just a little ways away, Pyrrha, Juane, and Ren looking anywhere but the stage. Nora was wolf-whistling, and Tara had her scroll out. Deciding to check on my Maiden, I slipped to her side and asked, "Please tell me you're recording this." Tara nodded and I smirked. "Send it to Ilia later please?" I requested. Tara nodded again and I went to the bar, hiding in the shadows as I noticed a bouncer right in front of the door I was supposed to be at. Sighing, I decided now was as good a time as any. Stumbling into the guy, he caught me quickly.

"Ma'am, are you alright?" he asked.

I laughed. "I'm fine! Just lookin for my fiancee." I replied, pretending to search the crowd. "But I can't find em. Maybe they went outside?" I wondered before laughing again. "Yeah, maybe that's it! I should go meet her out there!" I stumbled toward the door behind the bouncer, but he caught my arm.

"Ma'am, that's not the exit." he informed me.

"Whadaya mean? Of course it is!" I snapped back, pointing to an imaginary exit sign.

The man gave a long-suffering sigh before reaching for his radio. "I've got a Daisy Drunk. Gonna get her some fresh air." he informed. I glanced around, noting who checked their radios when he said something. Three guys for this big a club? I had to have missed some. But nonetheless, he escorted me away from the door.

Neo slid in unnoticed.

Ilia's POV

Things had gone well so far. Blake and I had slipped into the air vent and crawled until we had made it to the security office. Quietly lifting the grate under us and just as soundlessly landed behind the two guards. Or what was left of them. I nearly threw up at the bloody mess in front of me, and Blake froze in fear at the sight of the man who did it. "Ah, the traitors are both here, even better than I had expected." Adam sneered, slicing the camera power. I flicked Rainbow Fang into a ready stance, hoping that someone would notice our absence soon.

Yang's POV

I finished my dance, rather proud of how many heads I had turned, before getting dressed in the same outfit I had back during that wild night with Roman and the Paladin. I had done my part, giving the distraction, so now I could enjoy myself a little. Well, until we all have to ditch.

I felt a shiver down my spine. Something is wrong. I grabbed my scroll and called Allie. "Hey Yang, enjoy yourself up there?" her teasing voice asked me.

"Yes, but that's not why I'm calling." I replied. "Have Ilia and Blake gotten back yet?"

"No, now that you mention it." Allie replied. My heart clenched when she cursed. "How far are you from the security room?" she demanded.

"I passed it on my way in." I replied.

"Get there. I'm getting a bad feeling." Allie ordered urgently. "Neo and I will be there soon." The line went dead, and I hurried down the hall just as the door flew open, Blake flying out and through the window.

"Blake!" Ilia called in worry as she jumped back and followed my partner. I was worried and confused for a moment. But as I saw the red and black blur follow them, that vanished. Now I was just angry.

I followed Adam out the window and into the streets, chasing my best friend and my crush.

 _ **And done! Well, shit just got real. And I set up a great little smut for later, didn't I? But that's not gonna come for a bit yet. And for people who are asking, yes the smut I write separately is cannon with this story, I just don't feel like changing the rating. So other than that, what did people think? Good? Bad? Why am I still asking this? Leave a review and I'll see everyone next time when we kill Adam.**_


	60. An expected complication

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Ilia's POV

Damn it! He must have been waiting for us to be alone. No, judging by the way he talked, he had planned to catch Blake alone. As I'm someone who "betrayed" the White Fang, opposing his ideal, then I was just another target on his list. I instinctively blocked one of the bull's ferocious swings, my arms aching from the strain. Damn, he's gotten stronger.

"Why did you do it Ilia? Why did you betray us?" he demanded.

"That's rich coming from the guy who tried to murder the High Leader!" I retorted, turning his blade and blending into the background. I needed to keep him guessing.

"Sienna Khan lost her way. She was unfit to continue leading!" Adam snarled in reply.

"It's not her who's lost their way, Adam." Blake declared, shooting at her former partner. I heard clings, so Adam must have blocked them. I electrified my weapon's blade, attacking his unprotected back. It bounced right off of his sheathe. Damn it all!

But all wasn't lost as the current traveled up the metal sheathe and still delivered a nasty shock that let Blake and I regroup. We both glared at the faunus. "Adam, I won't lie and say I never thought like you." I began, "But I've met wonderful people. Wonderful humans. They treated me like any other person in the group. That's always what the White Fang was about. Being treated like everyone else." I lowered Rainbow Fang. "Stop this, Adam. Let us show you there's another way."

Adam scoffed, slashing at me. Blake blocked the attack, and we were fighting again. Damn it, where the hell was she? I saw her as I ran after Blake. There was the noise of a motorcycle, and before any of us knew what was happening Adam was run over by Bumblebee and Yang slid to a halt on her prized bike. My face lit up. We might just win this! Yang stepped in front of us.

"You." Adam hissed.

Yang fired a shot, which he blocked, before turning to us. "You two can relax for a minute. I've got this."

I scoffed, rolling my eyes. "Like I'm gonna let you have all the fun." I said with a smirk. She returned it before turning to Blake, who stood on her other side. We all held our weapons at the ready. Adam was on us in the next second, kicking me away and knocking Blake back with the butt of his sword. As we each slumped against the wall we landed in, winded but still kicking, Adam attacked Yang.

He swung in deadly slashes, throwing his sword as it spun. Yang blocked and countered each blow, actually pushing him back a bit. He managed to block a few of her blows, but she managed to connect more before she shot at Adam, who blocked each one. Then he began moving faster than I could track, ending his run with an energy wave.

"His semblance is like yours." Blake called, getting back to her feet. "He absorbs energy into his sword, stores it up, then sends it back when he's ready."

"He gets to dish out damage without having to feel it?" Yang asked, huffing in annoyance. "That's just cheep." Yang charged Adam again, this time using her gauntlets to change her angle of attack so Adam's counter went wide. Having gotten my second wind, I moved next, switching Rainbow Fang into whip mode and snapping it around his swordhand wrist, giving Yang what she needed to start wailing on him until he shook loose. Enraged, the bull blocked Yang's next punch, pushing her back to where Blake was struggling to her feet. I regrouped with them, each of us sharing a look that Adam apparently didn't like.

He activated his semblance, sending a wave of energy at, "YANG!" Blake and I called in worry. But the only sign she had been attacked were a couple inches of ground and a few scratches on her prosthetic.

Yang lowered her arm, unamused. "Leave us alone." she commanded. "This is your last chance."

Adam, equally unamused, put his hand on his sword. Then he paused, chuckling. "Do you really believe that?" he asked, "Or are you just trying to scare me away so you don't have to die trying to protect them?"

I looked to my crush and saw it. Her hand was shaking. I was going to grab it, but Blake beat me to it. Settling for putting my hand on her shoulder, I looked back at Adam. "She's not protecting us." I replied.

"And we're not protecting her." Blake added.

"All of us," Yang stared.

"Are protecting each other." we finished as one.

Ruby's POV

I handed Roman the bag I was holding, but my mind was on how Allie and Neo had rushed off after Yang called. "Something wrong Red?" Roman asked.

"I don't know. That's what worries me." I replied, explaining what had happened just before we left. "Do you think they're gonna be okay?" I asked.

"Hey, Allie and Neo are with em and they've got their Keys. What's the worst that could happen?" Roman replied cheerfully.

I smiled. "You're right. What do I have to worry about? Everything is probably fine."

Allie's POV

Everything is definitely not fine. As I looked at the Key beacons on my minimap, I growled. How had the four of them cleared that distance in so little time? Neo and I were just barely getting there as we saw that the fight between the three faunus and one human had somehow gotten to the rooftops and Blake was climbing the side of a building where Ilia, Yang and Adam all were. We got just close enough to where I was in earshot.

"Moment of truth, Yang. Do you think you're faster than you were at Bacon?" he asked. I couldn't see the blonde's response, but I heard him scoff. "Neither do I." he admitted before attacking. The three engaged, and I knew I had to get closer. I couldn't cast over this distance.

Ilia's POV

Adam was even more ferocious than before. He was yelling something, but I wasn't paying attention, instead listening for the signal. And he seemed to be focusing on Yang, as he only blocked and pushed me back. "You're just a coward like her!" he screamed, shooting another beam of energy at Yang. I saw a flash of red in the blonde's eyes as a dust cloud kicked up, and I smirked as he ran in for what he must have thought would be a finishing blow. The dust cleared to reveal Yang holding the blade, her hair ablaze.

"Gotcha." she declared, throwing a shotgun-propelled fist into his stomach. I flicked Rainbow Fang int whip mode, searching the rooftops. There she is. Yang's aura gave out, and she slumped to the floor. Roof. Whatever. "I may not be faster, but I'm smarter." she declared, throwing the crimson sword over the edge where Blake was climbing.

"NO!" he cried, lunging for his weapon. It was the perfect chance for Blake to sucker punch him.

I acted next, wrapping the whip around his leg and throwing him up. "NOW!" I screamed.

"Tiger Tail Trap!" the spell restrained Adam effectively, making him look every bit the caged animal he was. Allie appeared, a cheerful smile on her face. "Yahallo." she greeted. "So nice to see you, Adam. Sienna Khan was so worried you got lost." her sickly sweet tone made me shiver. "Best return you. Don't want her to be any more worried than she already is. I open the path to Sanctuary." the portal appeared, and the catgirl grinned. "I'll be back in time for us to leave. Don't wait up. Nya~"

And with that, the catgirl, the human girl who was never far from her side, and the bull vanished into Sanctuary.

Allie's POV

I was eager to see if this would work, so I called Sienna as soon as we got in. "Hey Sienna, it's Allie. I've got a wayward bull here and I was hoping you'd be interested. Think you can open a Path?" I asked sweetly, ignoring Adam's threats as they'd be silenced soon enough.

To my delight, the portal opened and I threw Adam into it before following. "Adam." Sienna greeted coldly. "You and I have much to discuss. Guard! Take him away." Adam was dragged from the throne room, and Sienna turned to me. "I promise, he will face a just punishment for all the wrongs he's committed." she said to me.

"That's all I ask!" I chirped, waving as I stepped back through the portal to see Neo's smirking face. "Care to do the honors?" I asked. The portal closed before opening again, and we stepped out onto the roof we had left Ilia, Yang and Blake. "It worked!" I cheered.

...

The next morning, Roman saw us off as we climbed aboard the bullhead. We all said our good-byes, and the aircraft took off soon after. Everyone was chatting happily about seeing the kingdom, but I sat off to the side. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Neo. ' _What's wrong?'_ she asked dryly.

"I'm worried." I admitted. "Once we reach Atlas, that's it. That's as far as the series went before I got pulled here." I sighed, not liking what I was saying at all. "From here on in, I'm flying blind." Not to mention our little extra didn't catch up. I wonder where she is? Meh, I'm sure we'll meet in Atlas in any event. She's clever, she'll figure her next move out.

But now I had to figure _my_ next move out.

 _ **And done! Yeah, Adam didn't die per-say, but he's totally screwed. I mean, he tried(and in this case failed) to kill the High Leader of the White Fang! Sienna's not gonna let that go. Well, what did people think? Good? Bad? Not enough? I was thinking of throwing in an extra chapter with Ruby's eyes, but I haven't decided yet. Well, leave a review and tell me what you thought. See everyone next time!**_


	61. Travel to Atlas

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I groaned. "Are we there yet?"

"We're still about a half-hour out." Weiss replied curtly.

"But I'm so bored!" I complained, flailing around childishly, causing Neo to giggle next to me. Internally smiling at the thought of getting the girl to giggle, I continued my actions until I let Yang force my arms to my sides. I pouted, crossing my arms and watching the clouds go by. I guess I did have something kinda important to think about. I still had to figure out how I was going to ask Neo. I had decided on the when already, when we settle into whatever Atlas safehouse we end up establishing, but I didn't know what I wanted to say. Glancing at Neo, who was chatting with Ilia, I blushed as she sensed my eyes on her and she turned to smile at me. I looked back out the window, a little embarrassed about being caught staring.

Neo's POV

Aww, she looks so cute like that! I wish I could see more of that bashful side. Turning back to my teammate, I asked, ' _So, has Tara sent you that video of Yang yet?'_

The chameleon turned pink, touching her fingers together. Okay, this was just too cute. "I-I've only opened it once." she admitted. I almost laughed, this girl had it bad!

' _You should tell her how you feel.'_ I suggested.

Ilia shook her head frantically. "Wh-what if she doesn't feel the same?" she questioned. I wanted to smack her. Instead I gave her an "Are you serious?" look. "Y-you really think she likes me?" That time I did hit her. "OW!"

"Hey, what's going on over there?" Yang asked, glaring at me.

' _She was being so stupid I couldn't help myself.'_ I excused casually.

Yang rolled her eyes before checking on Ilia. Both girls were blushing slightly at the contact, causing me to smirk. I'd have to bring this up to Allie later. We'd have some fun. I felt a chop on my own head and covered the lethal attack, glaring at Allie. "You shouldn't hit your teammates, even if they're being oblivious idiots." she scolded me absently. I huffed, crossing my arms and looking away.

Ilia's POV

Oh my gods, she's so close. I have to be blushing, but Yang either doesn't notice or doesn't care as she looks over where Neo hit me. "Well, at least it looks like it won't leave a mark." she determined after a second. "Why don't you come over with me for a bit? Get away from the psycho midget?" I couldn't talk, so I just nodded and I followed her as she sat next to Blake. As I sat on the blonde's other side, I swear I saw Neo smirking at me with a look of "I told you so."

Maybe...when we get to Atlas. I'm sure it hasn't changed all that much. I could show her around. I like that idea.

Cinder's POV

I yawned as I stretched. I had missed the train to Argus that Ruby and her little friends left on, but the next one got me there in one piece. There was this incident with a chimera I had to fireball because it tried to eat me and a few other passengers, but overall uneventful. I started walking the streets of Argus, wondering what I should do next. I suppose I should find a way to Atlas. I kept an eye on the crowd for any familiar faces, annoyed when I found none.

That is until I saw a head of blonde hair. I caught up to the blonde, putting my human hand on their shoulder. "Juane Arc?" I asked. The figure turned, but it wasn't the boy.

"No, I'm his sister. Are you a friend of his?" the woman asked.

"Something like that." I chuckled dryly. I doubted that boy would ever consider me a friend. "I'm looking for him and his companions. Do you know where I can find them?" I asked, putting on my friendly face.

"Well, they got a ride from one of the group's father to Atlas just a few days ago." she replied.

I cursed. Only one of them has a father-figure in this area. Roman. "Well that's too bad. Thank you for your time and have a nice day." I said, smiling as I left for the warehouses on the edge of town. That's where Roman would be if he was still in town. Damn, this would be so much easier if Emerald and Mercury were here. I wonder if they're alright? Oh who am I kidding? Those two are fine.

Emerald's POV

I stared at the bullhead Tyrian and Watts were going to take. If they were going to Atlas to get the relic, then I needed to be on that ship to find Cinder. I-I had to see her. "You'll never get past them." I heard the annoyingly familiar voice behind me. I turned to see Mercury looking at me with that smug grin.

"I'll figure something out. I have to get to Atlas." I responded, my mind totally set.

"Oh, I know we do." Mercury replied, leaning against a pillar. "That's why I installed a sort of hiding place in the floor of the bullhead the other day. It'll be a bit of a squeeze, but we should both be able to fit?" I was shocked. Mercury wanted to find her too? "Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm Cinder's lapdog too after all." he mocked, turning to leave.

"Mercury!" I called after him, causing him to stop. "Thank you." I said.

"Don't mention it." he replied. I smiled. We were going to find Cinder, then we were going to make that cat pay for mucking up our mission in Haven.

 _ **And done! Well, what did people think? Good? Bad? Not enough? I would like to point out that I stated in the last chapter that, even if the new volume is coming relatively soon, I will not be following it in this story as Allie wasn't around to even know about it and quite frankly, a certain someone had a point that I've been following too closely to cannon. So...cannon divergence starts now. yeah.**_

 _ **Well, leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see you all next time!**_


	62. Settling in

_**Alright, I think I know how I want this to go now.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

We landed without issue in Atlas, and of course were greeted right as we exited the ship. "I assume you all know the only reason I don't arrest you for illegally entering Atlas is because of who you have with you." Ironwood said, looking down at Oscar, who understandably cowered at the slightly intimidating man's presence. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your visit?"

"I know Qrow sent a letter ahead of us." I sighed, pinching my nose. "Watts and Tyrian are coming here. What they intend to do is rather obvious, but I don't know how they're going to do it, since I don't know who the Winter Maiden is."

"I thought you knew the story." Ironwood said almost mockingly.

"Up to this point. Unlike everyone else, I hold no shame admitting I'm flying blind here." I replied easily, glancing around. "Speaking of Winters, where's your Specialist? I would have expected her to be around considering who's with us." I asked, gesturing to Weiss.

"Schnee will be here after she completes her mission along the northern border." Ironwood informed me. "Now perhaps we can move this conversation somewhere more private?" he requested, glancing around the flying city's air strip.

Ironwood led us toward Atlas Academy, and I had to hold Neo back the whole way as people kept making rude remarks about me. "Look Neo, I get how you feel but killing them will do nothing." I hissed in her ear after having to grab her by the collar and pull her back from attacking someone who had called me some racial slur. "Besides, I've heard worse." I added quietly. I felt Neo slip her hand into mine, and she smiled at me which I returned.

...

I sighed as I slumped into a chair. "Damn, that went horribly." I complained.

"Well maybe if you hadn't called him Ironprick." Ruby pointed out, re-familiarizing herself with HQ.

"He was being a prick! We all know the relic would be safer in my Vault than anywhere on Remnant! And not only will he not let me have it, he wants the lantern!" I defended. As you can guess, our meeting with Ironwood hadn't gone well. We got into somewhat of a shouting match, and I was about ready to show what a Gamer could do when my team, with the help of RWBY, JNPR, and Qrow, dragged me away. I couldn't help it, I was mad!

"And let's not forget a certain someone who had threatened him with their weapon out if they took away our terminator." Yang added, causing Ruby to blush as red as her cloak. That had been a rather interesting experience. I never thought I'd see little Ruby Rose go almost berserk at the thought of being separated from her girlfriend. It was...actually kinda cool.

"Well at least he's still willing to let us stay in Atlas." Nora pointed out, grabbing her pink Xbox controller.

"That's cause he knows he can't kick us out." Juane pointed out.

"We'll have to look for the Winter Maiden on our own, convince her to help us." Tara theorized. I nodded my agreement, and she continued, "Um, does Ironwood know we're expecting someone else?" she asked suddenly.

I froze. "Aw crap." I groaned.

Cinder's POV

I entered the warehouse that one of the street urchins had pointed out, giving him enough lien to feed himself for a while. This was where Roman was hiding out until his return to Vale. I looked around, seeing some thugs wandering around. "Could you inform Roman his old boss wants to see him?" she requested.

The thugs looked at each other before one went to a door, knocking. "Boss, it's for you." he informed. "Chick says she's your boss."

I could hear Roman call out, exiting what I assumed was his office. "Hey kitten, what's going...on." he asked lamely.

"Hello Roman." I greeted smugly. "I need you to take me somewhere."

"And why would I do that?" Roman asked. "You gonna light me on fire if I don't?"

"No, I've been asked not to do that." I replied, reaching into my pocket and producing a strange item. "I was told to show you this."

Roman looked at the item, then at me, then the item, then me again. He laughed. "That girl is completely insane." he dissolved into hopeless laughter, which I let him indulge in for a minute before he returned to business mode. "Alright, I guess you want to head to Atlas then?" he asked. "I've got a ship headed there today, but it has to park a bit out-of-the-way. Allie told me mine have been getting flagged when they land in Atlas proper."

"That won't be a problem." I replied with a smirk. Everything was coming together.

 _ **And now for the moment you've all been waiting for for the past few chapters now. I went over this a million times in my head, and this is the result.**_

Allie's POV

I took a deep breath to calm my nerves. Dinner was in full swing in Sanctuary, Oscar and Qrow still getting used to the city I called my base. Ren and Nora were making bedroom eyes at each other, Penny was feeding Ruby what looked like a slice of cake, Yang was doing her best to turn this into a party, getting into a drinking contest with Pyrrha, and everyone seemed to be having a good time. I sought out Neo, smiling when I found her chatting with Blake. Seems like they get along well now. That's good. "Neo, can I talk to you for a minute?" I asked. She looked at me confused, but nodded and excused herself from the bar. She followed me outside, and I took one more deep breath and turned to my girlfriend, reaching into my pocket as I did.

"Neo, before I came here, I had no one I could really count on. My parents never thought I was good enough, my friends all left me, and I was well and truly alone." I began, smiling sadly at the memories of before I came to Remnant. "But when I came to Remnant, I had friends I could count on, a purpose, someone I love." My smile turned joyful. "And, I want to keep holding onto that love for the rest of my life. I want to wake up every morning with you right next to me. I want you to be the last thing I see when I go to sleep." I got onto one knee, and Neo gasped. "Neo, my love, will you marry me?" I asked.

Neo's POV

I couldn't believe it. Allie was asking me to marry her? I knew what I did next would hurt like nothing before, but I forced my vocal chords to their absolute limit. This was a special occasion, and it deserved a real answer, not some text on a scroll. "Yes." I croaked out. "A thousand...times...yes." I managed to struggle out, tears in my eyes as I smiled in genuine happiness.

Allie slipped the ring onto my finger. It was a beautiful pink diamond with a black band. And if I looked carefully, I could see some signs of brown surrounding the gem. We kissed, I don't know for how long, but we kissed each other deeply, each of us trying to convey the love we felt for the other. It wasn't until we separated that I noticed my throat didn't hurt as much as when I answered. I smirked, grabbing my scroll. ' _You put an enchantment on the ring, didn't you?'_ I asked dryly.

Allie smiled back. "I had a feeling you'd use your voice, so I planned ahead." she replied. My smirk turned back into a loving smile. That's my kitten, always thinking three steps ahead. I heard some cheers from inside the bar, but I really didn't care as I kissed my fiancee. Wow, that word never felt so electrifying.

Allie's POV

We walked back into the bar, everyone congratulating us as we passed them. Well...almost everyone. "Did Pyrrha seriously drink Yang under the table?" I asked, pointing to the passed out blonde.

 _ **And done! Well, if that last line didn't ruin the moment. So, what did people think? Not just the proposal(though I appreciate feedback for that especially), but the chapter as a whole? And can anyone guess what's going on with Cinder? I think it's obvious at this point, but just in case I'm going to keep it somewhat quiet. Leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	63. Pieces coming together

_**Well, here we go.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Emerald's POV

Mercury wasn't kidding when he said this was a squeeze. I had to keep quiet, and that was the only thing keeping me from yelling at that gray-haired idiot for not putting in more room. And I really didn't like how we could only fit laying on top of each other! Just pretend it's Cinder until we get to Atlas, Emerald. Yeah, that made it more bearable. Plus Mercury was quiet for once in his life, which was nice.

"So what exactly are we supposed to do when we arrive in Atlas?" Watts was asking above us.

"We are to locate the Winter Maiden and retrieve the relic under Atlas Academy, of course." Tyrian cackled.

"And how are we supposed to do that? We can't exactly just walk up to every woman in the streets and ask if they're the one we're looking for." Watts pointed out.

"Well then it's a good thing I have a plan." Tyrian sang, and I heard a thud that was probably him jumping on something. "The little kitten who defeated Cinder would know. We find her, tail her, and when she meets with Winter, we kill her and her little friends, abduct Winter, and bring her to the vault." I was a little surprised. That actually wasn't a horrible plan. How did that insane scorpion come up with it? Merc tried readjusting his leg right then, causing me to gasp in surprise when he brushed against my crotch. "Did you hear something?" Tyrian asked.

"No, why?" Watts replied.

"No reason. Must have been my ears playing tricks on me." the scorpion dismissed.

Cinder's POV

I groaned in frustration as I saw the entrance to Atlas. The trek here had been rather frustrating, dealing with those saber-tooth grimm every two seconds, but I made it here. Now I just have to sneak past the security at the gate. Joy. I found myself thinking what Emerald would do in these circumstances. There were cameras, and you couldn't trick cameras with illusions. I could barbacue them, but that would only draw guards. But maybe that's exactly what I wanted. Throwing a couple flame jets at the cameras, I hid and waited. Right on cue, the gate opened and two guards came out to investigate. I smirked, using my grimm arm to throw one into another and walk right in. by the time someone realized something was wrong, I was long gone.

Allie's POV

"You're sure?" I asked Ilia, who had arrived just a few moments ago with some rather interesting information.

"According to what I heard Ironwood say." Ilia replied. "The Winter Maiden will be attending the school dance tonight, and he planned on inviting all of us as well."

I grinned. This was perfect. I knew it was a good idea to have Ilia play fly-on-the-wall after our failed meeting with Ironwood. "I think I still have my dress from Beacon. What do you think, Neo?" I asked my fiancee. Gods, that felt good to say. It had been about a week since I had proposed, and I couldn't be much happier. Anyway, Neo nodded and I turned back to Ilia. "Anything else we need to know about this dance?" I asked.

"Well, I guess the Schnee family attends every year." my chameleon teammate informed. I sighed in annoyance.

"Alright, we'll have to keep an eye out. Inform the others, please. I have scheming to do." I requested. "And maybe see if Yang wants to be your date to the dance." I added mischievously, causing Ilia to turn pink as she fled the room. I turned to Neo. "Wanna help me scheme?" I asked. She nodded and we turned toward our room.

Ilia's POV

I had just forced my color back to normal as I entered the Holo-Table room, where everyone suddenly had their eyes on me. I took a deep breath. Just like any other mission. I told everyone what I had told Allie, and there were various reactions. "A party? Oh, that sounds like so much fun! Doesn't it sound fun Penny?" Ruby squealed.

"Sounds like just what we need after what we've been through to get here." Blake shrugged.

"As well as come closer to our objective of stopping Salem." Ren pointed out.

"I say we do it, who's with me?" Nora asked, earning various degrees of cheer from just about everyone. They all looked toward Weiss. "Well Ice Queen?" the Valkyrie asked.

"I'm not exactly looking forward to the idea of running into my father." she admitted.

Ruby put a hand on hers. "We promised. Not for a second." she reminded. Weiss smiled, nodding her acceptance. "Oooh, this is so exciting!" Everyone laughed at the reaper's enthusiasm before leaving to prepare.

Well, almost everyone. "Hey Ilia, you got a sec?" Yang asked, causing me to freeze.

"Yeah, what's up?" I asked, trying to force my nervousness down.

After all, there was no way she'd want to, "Would you go to the dance with me?" she asked. I was completely speechless for a moment, which ended up being a very bad thing, as she sighed and said, "I guess it is kind of outta the blue, just forget I-"

"I'd love to." I blurted, turning completely pink.

Yang gave me one of her sunny smiles. "Great! I'll meet you at the Gate?" she asked. Still too astonished with what was happening, I just nodded as Yang left to get ready for tonight. Did...did that just happen?

 _ **And done! Yes Ilia, that just happened. Well, things are progressing faster than I expected, but there's still time. The dance itself is probably going to be a few chapters long just because of what I'm planning for it. So, what did people think? Good? Bad? Not enough? Leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see you all next time!**_


	64. Atlas dance part 1: A snowy encounter

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Cinder's POV

When I heard about the dance at Atlas Academy, I had a feeling Ruby and her friends would be there. Using some of the stolen cash I had to grab to cover travel expenses, I bought a decent dress and slipped in unnoticed. For a military academy, the security was rather easy to slip past. Must think the students here are enough. Now if I were a catgirl, where would I be?

"What are those filthy animals doing here?" someone hissed, pointing at the entrance where a rather large group was entering. Found her.

Allie's POV

After digging out our outfits from the dance at Beacon, RWBY, JNPR, ANTI, Penny, Qrow, and Oscar all met at the Gate to head to Atlas. I was pleasantly surprised to see Yang slip her hand into Ilia's. Guess the chameleon gathered her courage. As for the rest of us, the only ones not paired up slipped beside each other. Blake smiled at a very nervous Oscar, and Tara fell into easy conversation with Weiss. Qrow just took a sip from his flask and we were off.

When we all came into the ballroom, because of course Atlas Academy has a ballroom, the whispers and insults came toward mostly me and Blake, since Ilia hadn't changed colors yet and looked very human at the moment. As soon as the first comment was out, I grabbed Neo's hand and squeezed. A comfort that it didn't bother me, and a warning to keep her temper in check. I didn't need another CRDL incident.

"Spread out. Keep your eyes peeled for you-know-who." I ordered. Ruby, Weiss, and Penny went off in one direction, JNPR went in another, Ilia, Oscar, Blake and Yang in another, Qrow wandered off, and Neo and I began making our way toward a familiar head of black hair standing visible over the crowd. "Heya Ironwood, thanks for inviting us. Nya~" I greeted.

Ironwood rolled his eyes at my antics, but replied, "Yes, well I hope you and your friends enjoy yourselves."

"We will!" I chirped, leading Neo to the dance floor as a slow song started to play. "Shall we?" I asked sweetly. Neo nodded and we fell into an easy rhythm.

"How can she let that thing touch her?" someone asked. I noticed Neo's jaw clench, but there was no other reaction. That was good. She wasn't going to go full yandere so I guess I should take what I can get. Some more people continued to mutter, but as the song ended, I didn't have to restrain my fiancee so I was glad.

"You okay?" I asked.

' _As good as I can be. Gods, how can they say something so insensitive? They don't even know you!'_ she replied.

"It's because they don't know me that they can say that kind of shit." I replied, pulling her in for a small kiss. "If they knew what I was capable of, they wouldn't _dare_ think of saying that." I joked, causing Neo to giggle. It wasn't like I was lying. I could blow this whole place to hell with a wave of my hand, but I fit into the good side of the chaotic spectrum.

Suddenly there was a commotion in the direction that Tara's group had gone. Oh shit. "We'd better check on that." I sighed, gesturing Neo to follow and checking to make sure my key was still on me.

Tara's POV

Well, so far so good. No one's caused a ruckus, which I was worried about. Especially given Neo and Yang's...protectiveness. Yeah, that's the best word for it. I leaned against the wall as I watched Penny and Ruby dance. "They are so cute together." I declared.

"No kidding." Weiss giggled next to me. I checked the crowd, worried I'd see the one the boss told me to be wary of. Weiss must have noticed because she smirked. "Looking for someone in particular?" she asked teasingly.

"Weiss!" Someone called.

I flinched as I saw a white head of hair coming toward us. "Yeah, him." I groaned, wondering if I could get away with lightning bolting Jaques Schnee. Best not to risk it.

"F-father!" Weiss gasped, glancing toward her partner, who I noticed was already approaching with her girlfriend close behind. "Wh-what a surprise."

"Indeed. Almost as surprising as when you weren't in your room. Imagine my surprise when I found out you had vanished in Anima." Jaques replied coldly.

"Yeah, and stop what happened at Beacon from happening at Haven." I added, slipping between them and offering my hand. "Tara Malachite, I'm a friend of Weiss." I greeted, hoping to buy some time. No way the appearance of the Schnee patriarch didn't catch some attention.

"Ah yes, the bandit girl." Schnee scoffed. I glanced around, seeing Yang and Ilia approaching. Ruby and Penny had already fell into line beside the former's partner. I couldn't see JNPR, but with this crowd they could just be having trouble getting here.

I sensed more than saw Allie and Neo appear. "Well perhaps you'd like to meet my leader then?" I asked smugly, noticing Neo had her umbrella. "She and her fiancee are standing right behind you."

Schnee turned to see the boss smiling at him menacingly. "Is there a problem here?" she asked.

"No, I was just coming to see my runaway daughter." Schnee replied.

"Well, there she is, safe and sound. Nya~" Allie replied. Was now really the time? "Is there anything else? Or can we all get on with our night?"

"Don't talk down to me you damn animal!" Jaques hissed.

Neo moved, her blade appearing barely an inch from his neck. Allie grabbed her wrist, glaring. "Down girl. You knew he was this much of a prick long before we arrived here." she reprimanded.

Then Schnee did something that shocked everyone. He smacked Allie to the floor, more likely the shock of it than the real force causing the result. "How dare a lesser race like you touch a human!" he snarled. Everyone tensed when Neo glared with pure hatred at the man.

She lunged. "Tiger Tail Trap!" the mute was instantly restrained, and Allie was in front of her. "Neo, focus on me. I'm alright. This bigot doesn't have the capability to hurt me. Just calm down. Please." she said quickly. It was clear Schnee was going to try something again, but this time Ironwood stepped between them. Schnee backed down, probably not wanting to get into an argument with the general of the Atlas Military.

"I think it's time you left, Jaques." Ironwood said calmly.

Schnee turned toward Weiss, and I tensed, calling my powers but not letting them surface just yet. "Very well. Weiss, let us return home." he ordered his daughter.

"No." Weiss responded.

"Excuse me?" Schnee demanded. A lightning bolt should work. It was stormy tonight so it would make some sort of freak accident sense if he got struck, right?

"I said no. I'm staying with my friends, people who actually care about me instead of using me like some pawn. I am _not_ going with you." I smirked at Weiss, and she returned it with a smile of her own.

"I will not tolerate this insolence!" Schnee snapped, reaching for Weiss' arm.

"I would not advise that course of action." Allie hissed without turning. "Unless you want me to let Neo go before she's fully calmed down." Schnee turned on her again, but Ironwood glared at him and the Schnee patriarch left without another word.

Allie's POV

Well that was annoying. I let Neo go and checked to make sure Weiss was okay before turning to Ironwood. "Thanks for that. Things could have turned bloody if you hadn't shown up." I said.

"Its not a problem." Ironwood dismissed, walking into the crowd that was quickly dispersing. Damn, that was a setback if I've ever seen one.

Then the next one came. I felt Gamer's Mind resist something, and I glanced around the crowd until I saw mint green hair and ruby red eyes. Emerald. Wait, then that means that...shit.

A mad cackle filled the room.

Emerald's POV

I tried to distract Allie, but it seemed she was just annoyed as she looked at me. But how? Oh yeah, Crimson mentioned how he could resist mind alteration effects like illusions. She probably has the same thing. I growled in frustration before Tyrian's mad cackle filled the room. "Welcome all! We are not interested in mere students, so rejoice. You all get the chance to leave." he declared. Everyone was looking around, wondering who was talking. "Well, that is if you manage to get outside. You see, my colleague and I have rigged this place with all sorts of bobbie traps. Good luck!"

I cursed my luck. I had to find Mercury and get out of here. It shouldn't be a problem if we work together. But as I turned to find my annoying companion, I bumped into someone. "Sorry." I apolagized quickly, trying to get around them until I heard them speak.

"Emerald?" I looked up, gasping.

"Cinder!"

 _ **And done! That's part 1. So what did people think? Good? Bad? Don't worry, I'll play more with the lava lamp ship, I just wanted to start with this. So, I guess leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see everyone next time for Tyrian's Carnage Carnival.**_


	65. Atlas dance part 2: Carnage Carnival

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I hadn't expected them to move so fast. And apparently the military level-headedness wasn't present as students began screaming, trying to get out. I turned to my friends. "Weapons free. If it's a scorpion, a sarcastic mustache dude, or a grimm, kill it." I ordered, equipping Triad Heart and summoning Sekiryuki. "Meet back at Sanctuary once everyone is out." I added, searching the crowd for Emerald. If she was here, she was looking for Cinder. And if Cinder was here... I needed to find her before anyone outside of Team ANTI. Following the panicking students to make sure they didn't get themselves killed, I searched for the fall maiden.

Tara's POV

We got separated in the stampede, and only Weiss and I were together. I wasn't worried. Our friends could take care of themselves, and I had seen them all summon their weapons from the Vault before we were hit like a tidal wave. I grabbed Weiss' hand, and we managed to keep together until we could stand again without the threat of being knocked over. "We should get moving." I suggested.

Weiss nodded, gripping her rapier as we proceeded through the halls toward the front door. We didn't find anyone we knew, but we ran into plenty of traps. Some were classics, spikes shooting out of the floor, poison darts, things like that. They were easily avoidable. Then we came to a rather gruesome sight.

"Oh my gods." Weiss gasped, her mouth over her hands as she saw the dismembered bodies of the Atlas students. It looked like they had been cut by large blades. I looked around, seeing a binder discarded in the hall. Grabbing it, I tossed it to where the corpses were. Blades as tall as both of us on each other's shoulders snapped out, slicing the binder easily. After a second, they retracted. I snorted. Even the MED Loaders couldn't save us from that.

"We'll have to find a different way." I determined, grabbing the still frozen Weiss and pulling her along.

"Why?" she whispered. "Why did they do this?"

"If I had to guess? They're looking for the Winter Maiden." I replied. "I just hope everyone else is alright."

Ilia's POV

By some miracle, Yang, Blake and Oscar managed to stick with me this far. We had already doubled back from some impassible traps. Oscar was in a bit of shock, but after seeing worse, I was pretty fine. Even Yang and Blake were handling it rather well. "We'll never get out at this rate. It'll be quicker to handle Tyrian and Watts then disable the traps manually." I determined. I heard affirmatives behind me, and the four of us were off.

Ruby's POV

Penny and I had stumbled into one of the classrooms with some of the other students. "Heya Red!" I heard.

I looked over to see, "Flynt! Neon!" I beamed, happy to see some friendly faces. "It's good to see you two." I cheered.

"Great to see you too kid, even though these are less than ideal circumstances." Neon replied, glancing outside. "The windows are wired to electrocute you if you touch them." she informed.

"What the hell's this about anyway?" Flynt wondered.

"Most likely our enemies are trying to find the identity of the Winter Maiden." Penny replied.

"Penny! That's supposed to be a secret!" I reprimanded, turning to come up with some explanation when I took in their expressions. They looked surprised but also...guilty. "This isn't the first time you've heard about the Winter Maiden, is it?" I asked, glancing around the room.

Flynt shook his head. "She's one of our teammates. Kya Black." he replied. I looked at the other students questioningly. "Nah, she's not here. She's probably tryin to find us...or whoever's doin this."

My eyes widened in panic. "No way will that work. Tyrian is way too strong." I gasped.

Neon gulped. "You think so?" she asked. I nodded and the faunus turned to her partner. "Flynt, we can't stay here. We have to find her!" Flynt nodded, grabbing his trumpet from next to him. "I know the way to the security room. Let's go." Neon declared, skating out of the room. The three of us followed quickly.

Allie's POV

Well...we're lost. No surprise, Neo and I managed to stick together, but we hadn't seen anyone alive for a while now. We found plenty of dead, though. Gods, these kids just wanted to go to a party. We turned a corner and practically ran into who I thought was Mercury at first, but then noticed that A) she was a she and B) she was kinda cute. "Trying to get out of here? The path behind us is completely trapped." I informed.

"No, I need to find the ones responsible. They must be holed in the security office." she replied. I looked over the girl. Sure, she was one of Atlas Academy's students, but this kid was almost as short as Neo, and looked thin enough to be knocked over by a light breeze.

"You're gonna want some backup. I know who's behind this and they're tough customers." I replied.

I expected some kind of snort or disagreement, but she just nodded. "Yeah. Wish I could find my teammates, but I suppose something's better than nothing, and you pulled that cool trick in the ballroom." she decided. "Well, if I'm gonna work with you, I should probably know your names."

"I'm Allison N Rouge, but you can call me Allie if that's eaiser." I introduced reflexively. "This lovely lady on my right is my fiancee, Neo Politan." Neo waved a greeting, which the girl returned. "And you are?" I asked.

"My name's Kya Black." she introduced.

...

Kya led us through the air shafts toward the security room. "So what brings you to Atlas?" she asked.

"Looking for someone." I replied. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you who, though." I chuckled.

"Oh, so you're looking for a myth?" she asked.

My eyes widened a fraction. "You could say that, yeah." I admitted. I imagine she was about to ask what I meant when she froze. I perked my ears, and nearly growled when I heard Tyrian's maniacal laughter.

"Look at them panic! Oh, this is so wonderful to watch." he was saying. I bit back the angry growl. Kids were dying and he was enjoying it.

"Let's kick this guy's ass." I suggested dangerously. Kya lifted the grate below her and the three of us dropped into the room.

"Ooh! Someone came to see me, how wonderful." Tyrian said smugly. Like he had expected us.

"You'll pay for what you've done here, scorpion." Kya hissed. Then, to my astonishment, her eyes began to glow with a white outline. Not unlike when Tara was using her powers, or Cinder calling on hers. Holy shit, it's her? "I'll freeze you solid!" she snarled, and the temperature of the room dropped dramatically.

The door burst open to reveal Ruby, Penny, and to my surprise and slight delight, Flynt and Neon. "Kya! We're here to help!" Flynt declared, putting his trumpet to his lips.

"Good to have you, fearless leader." Kya replied sarcastically.

I moved, slamming Tyrian through a wall and ending up in some empty gym area or something. I grinned as the reaper, the terminator, my fiancee, and the three members of FNKI came in after us. We actually had a chance with this line-up. But I knew the scorpion wasn't going to make this easy.

 _ **And done! Yeah, I kinda hope they bring back Flynt and Neon in the next volume. They were cool. And I figured what's a better way to bring them into the story for at least a little while than have Winter on their team? I admit, I considered making Winter Schnee the Winter Maiden, cause come on, how funny would that be? But...I started listening to RWBY music, Neon started playing, and I went with this instead. So I guess leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see you all next time!**_


	66. Atlas dance part 3: Tornado Takedown!

_**This first portion is really going to be an excuse to show off my new OC. Hope you enjoy.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I freely admit I didn't expect to find the Winter Maiden so quickly. Wait, that means at least three Maidens were at Beacon during the Vytal festival. As that sunk in, I glared at Tyrian. "Do we know where the rest are?" I asked Ruby.

"We got separated during the initial panic." she replied. "But they'll be fine. They're our friends." she added hopefully. I was curious whether she was trying to convince me or herself. But...we had bigger problems. According to what Tara told me, Ruby and JNR took Tyrian on and were beaten soundly, even with the Maiden's help. Granted I was still stronger than all of them and pretty much this whole school combined, but it was still worrying.

"Ooh, the little rose is here with new friends." Tyrian noted. "Well then, its a good thing I brought friends too." And now there were some kind of saber-tooth grimm I haven't seen before. One for each of us, how convenient. "Well then, shall we play a little?"

"You're not going to beat us as easily as that, Tyrian. Sword Stance: Gilded Thorn." I snapped, unclipping the sheath and attacking the first grimm. The others snapped to action, weapons flashed, and the room descended into chaos.

Kya's POV

I formed my ice sword, a hefty zanbato that was way lighter due to the icy material but just as deadly, and sliced the first Saber before advancing on the scorpion. I threw a bolt of ice at him, which he gracefully dodge while chuckling. Is this guy a scorpion or a hyena? I slashed at him, but he jumped onto the blade. "My my, and I thought that Schnee girl was the ice queen." the scorpion, Tyrian if I heard Allie right, mocked before dashing toward me on the blade. I reformed my sword into a pair of short swords, blocking his attacks before throwing an icy wind to knock him back.

"You're going to have to try harder than that." I taunted, the two swords becoming one longsword. "You're fighting the Ice Blade after all." I added, swinging the blade with practiced ease. Tyrian blocked with his tail, and I noticed he was aiming one of his wrist blades at my side. I froze it in a glacier. "Oh come on, is that the best you've got?" I mocked, dodging his second attack and backpedaling. I reformed the ice weapon, turning it to a halberd. This guy seemed like he was only good at close range, so my long-range blades were my best bet.

Tyrian came at me again, but I used the shaft to deflect his attack before slapping him away. I glared at the scorpion as he rushed me with a mad gleam in his eyes.

Allie's POV

Son of a bitch. The Winter Maiden was a Tracer. Sure, they were all no-name weapons, unlike EMIYA, but still! I sliced a grimm, turning to distract the one Flynt was blasting with his Killer Quartet. Damn that music hurts my ears.

"Never miss a beat, never miss a beat." Neon was chanting. She swung her nunchaku at another of the Sabers, as I found out they were called later, was frozen in place as Ruby sliced it in half.

As for Penny...well. "Keep away from my friends!" the ginger terminator shouted, firing her wrist cannon. Why did I think that was a good idea? Oh yeah, I'm crazy. I sliced another Saber down the middle and was faced with Neo thrusting her own blade into the mouth of another. I could see the gleam in her eyes, she was having fun. That's good. If you can't enjoy your job, you just don't want to show up to it.

"Ah!" Ruby screamed, snapping me out of my battle trance in enough time to see one of the Sabers had gotten a swing in on Ruby, knocking her scythe away and her onto the ground. SHIT!

"Ruby!" someone called in worry. A fireball incinerated the Saber, and Ruby looked on in astonishment.

"Cinder?" she asked, gobsmacked.

"Eliminate the grimm. I have a scorpion to cook." Cinder ordered her subordinates, who had apparently found her as they broke from their flanking positions and aided Neon, Flynt, and Neo.

"There you are! I thought I told you to catch up with us in Argus!" I snapped, earning confused looks from Penny and Ruby.

"There was a hiccup in travel plans. I couldn't help that I was running late." Cinder dismissed, turning to where Tyrian was still failing to hit Kya. "The little girl's got some moves." she muttered in appreciation.

"She's the Maiden we were looking for, her name's Kya." I replied, causing Cinder to laugh before she rushed to join her fellow Maiden. I turned to Ruby, who had retrieved Crescent Rose. "I'll explain later, fight." I said quickly.

Cinder's POV

My swords materialized in my hands and I started swinging at Tyrian, catching him off guard just enough to cut him as he backflipped, landing in a crouch. "You dare betray our goddess?" he shrieked.

"Crimson set me up to fail and Salem allowed it. How else am I to respond?" I replied. Of course that wasn't the whole story, but I had no intention of telling him that.

"You damned traitor! I'll end you!" he screamed, lunging at me.

"Don't forget I'm here too." Kya snapped, swinging a bastard sword made of ice and smacking the scorpion into the wall. I smirked, throwing a fireball at where he had landed. "Kya Black." she introduced.

"Cinder Fall." I replied quickly, holding my swords at the ready. "Wait, did you say Black?" I asked, but Tyrian wasn't down yet and he interrupted my fellow Maiden's reply. I parried the ferocious attacks, glad they were so easy to read and deflect or I would be in trouble. I threw up a flame wall, causing my opponent to back off only to be slammed by a freezing wind. "Nice moves." I commented.

"You're not so bad yourself." Kya replied, now holding a spear.

"So...powers or semblance?" I asked, pointing to her weapon.

"Bit of both." was the reply I got as we continued to trade blows with Tyrian. "My semblance lets me create weapons out of anything I touch, and my powers make it to where my weapons are made of ice more often than not." I smirked at the ingenuity of this one.

"Die! Die! Die! Die!" Tyrian was shouting, trying in vain to slash us. I snorted, letting the heat in the room rise.

"Ooh! Idea!" Kya said suddenly, and I felt a war between my heat and her cold. What is she...Oh! Not bad kid.

Allie's POV

A tornado soon formed, and while all our allies managed to ground themselves in time, the Sabers and Tyrian weren't so lucky as they were torn to shreds. "Well that was...effective." I said dryly after the tornado died out.

"Hey! We're here to-what the hell happened here?" Yang asked, appearing to see the carnage the tornado had caused. Then she noticed Cinder and cocked Ember Cecilia.

I got between the dragon and the maiden. "Check you're fire, Yang. She's with me." I snapped quickly.

My response was a dry look. "You flipped her?" she asked. I nodded. "How?"

"Let's find the others first." I suggested, turning to Cinder and her lapdogs. "Shall we?" I asked.

...

When we got to the front, we saw Nora happily smashing Paladins. "Tara, explain." I commanded, turning to where she and Weiss were standing.

"Well, Watts apparently infected the Paladins with the same virus from Beacon." she explained.

"And Nora?" I asked, fearing the answer.

"The door had enough electricity running through it to kill a goliath." Tara replied dryly. Damn, Nora's juiced up. I just watched the carnage before Nora finally ran out of power and came back. Her eyes locked onto Cinder and company, and she brandished Magnhild. I sighed, expecting a long night. And not the fun kind of long night.

 _ **And done! Yeah, I killed Tyrian rather pathetically, but other than that what did people think? Good? Bad? Not nearly enough? Leave a review with your thoughts and tune in next time for the million dollar question of how did Allie flip Cinder of all people?**_


	67. How Cinder flipped

_**So, this is my version of Cinder's past. What do you guys think?**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Battle of Haven, Vault of the Relic, Allie's POV

I smirked as I watched Cinder go berserk. Her technique was sloppy now, probably an effect of Ardonight, and it was easy to deflect her blade. I turned the black sword and Neo moved, smacking the crazed Maiden around before retreating and letting me take her on again. If I could get the sword out of her hand, it could be enough.

I was forced out of my scheming, when I blocked a viscous swing that made a dent in my aura. Shit, if I took too many of those, she'd actually break through and start damaging my HP. I absently wondered what that was like, but I pushed with all the strength I could and managed to get Cinder to back off as I fired Excalibastard with my other hand. "ARTHUR!" Cinder screamed, rushing me again. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea.

I thought of that new spell I had gotten recently. But that ran some serious risk. No, I would have to try it. It was the only way to win. "Neo, I'm about to do something seriously stupid. I need you to be ready when it works." Neo looked worried, but nodded. Cinder rushed us again, but this time instead of blocking let the sword stab me in the chest.

Cinder's POV

I did it! Pulling my sword from Allie's body, she began falling back. Then she recovered and slugged me in the stomach. "Try not to think about this too much." she suggested before she began pummeling me. I gasped in pain as I fell back onto the ground.

But what was more surprising was the fact I sat up not in the Vault, but in some sort of meadow. I sat up, looking around and trying to get my bearings. "CINDER!" I heard a voice call. No. No, it couldn't be! I looked at my clothes, seeing I was wearing some raggedy little dress. I turned to where the voice had called when I was pulled up painfully by my arm. "There you are you little brat! What are you doing out here? There are chores to be done!" my mother snapped at me.

"Y-yes. I'll start them right away." I replied quickly, not wanting to risk her wrath. I probably wasn't going to be fed tonight since I had been caught relaxing.

...

The day had come to an end, and I lay in the pile of hay that served as my bed in the barn. I hated this. I wanted to be free of that vile woman. I wanted to be free, but for that I needed power. Power to keep her from hurting me. From beating me for not finishing all the chores fast enough. I was eight, what did she expect?

I woke up, but I wasn't in that horrible place anymore. When I opened my eyes, I saw fire. That's right. I had set fire to the house with my vile mother inside. I wasn't worried about much else. Father died long ago and I was an only child. I smiled in satisfaction as I turned and left the house to burn, my mother's screams filling my ears.

As I walked, I ended up in the city I had met Emerald. I was surprised to see I had grown to my current age, wearing my signature dress and heels. Figuring I had nothing better to do, I went for the shop next to me. But what I saw was not Emerald stealing that ring. It was her laying in a pool of her own blood. This wasn't right! I was supposed to see her steal the ring then run. I would follow and take her under my wing!

"Emerald!" I gasped, grabbing the girl and lifting her upper body. But her head just lolled to the side. "No, this isn't right. This isn't what was supposed to happen!" I gasped.

"No, but it seems to be what you feared would happen." I heard from behind me. "I didn't think it was possible, but you actually care for that little street rat, don't you?"

"What did you do to me?" I demanded, glaring at the catgirl. I didn't want to answer. I didn't want to admit my weakness.

"Nightmare Teller." was the reply I got. "It's rather self-explanatory. And I have to say after seeing your childhood I understand why you turned out like...well, this." The scene changed to when I was about to shoot Pyrrha. "But what has it gotten you? Sure, it got you two loyal lapdogs who'd probably follow you through hell, but do you remember what comes when you loose that arrow?" I flinched, the arrow slipped from my fingertips and Pyrrha vanished into that burst of light.

"Pyrrha!" I heard Ruby shriek, my vision becoming white.

"What?" I gasped, feeling the current slam into me like a tidal wave.

"But there was something I was always curious about." Allie kept talking, and I could see her through that infuriating white light. "Why Emerald? Why Mercury? Why Torchwick? Looking through your life. I have the answer. Do you?"

"What are you talking about? I picked them because they were useful!" I snapped back.

"Is that really all?" Allie asked, smirking like she knew something I didn't. "Think, there's a common denominator between the four of you. Any idea what it is? It's a bit more obvious than you'd think, or care to admit." From the white, people began to emerge. "Emerald, who was thrown away like trash until you found her in that store, and again in that alley. Mercury, who was abused to the point of sociopathy by his father. Torchwick, who was betrayed by the world. They all have something in common."

I snarled. "What does this have to do with anything?" I demanded.

Allie just continued to smirk. "Answer my questions and I'll let you out." she bargained simply.

I bit my lip and thought. Why had I singled out Emerald. Sure, she had been useful, but the same could be said about any of the street rats who lived as long as her. And Mercury, why did I feel a sort of kinship with both of them. I knew, deep in the part of myself I buried a long time ago I knew. "I related to them." I admitted.

Allie smiled. "Correct!" she cheered. "Now just one more question and we can leave." she promised. I tsked, but listened anyway. "What's that deep dark secret you're holding in your heart? What do you desire?" I swear she was quoting someone with that, but I found myself compelled to answer.

"I want to be feared. So no one will ever hurt me again." I hissed.

Allie smiled. "Neo has Ardonight now, so we can leave." she said and my eyes opened. We were in the Vault again, and Neo was looking at her little girlfriend's wound. "It's fine. I'm fine." she assured before turning to me. "Well Cinder, I imagine you know how this will go if we continue at this point?"

I nodded, summoning my swords. "I won't make it easy for you." I promised.

"Oh come on, none of that." she sighed, sheathing her katana. "I don't want to stop you from achieving your goal, Cinder. So I'm going to offer you something I don't think you've had in a while. A choice." I lowered my swords, but didn't dismiss them. "You can die for Salem, or you can live for me."

Sanctuary, Just after Tyrian's attack, Allie's POV

"And she chose to live." I finished. Everyone looked between me and the Fall Maiden.

"Then why didn't she come up with you?" Ruby asked.

Both Cinder and I blushed at the embarrassing moment when the floor had given way under her feet and I didn't get to her in time. "Ehh, reasons?" I replied nervously. Thankfully, no one pushed the question.

Unfortunately, not everyone was receptive to the Maiden. "How can you even consider letting her join us after what she's done?" Juane demanded.

"What exactly are you referring to? The time I failed to kill your girlfriend? The fall of a school that can easily be reclaimed?" Cinder asked calmly.

"How about killing that girl who had the other half of your powers?" Juane countered.

"We're at war, Juane." I sighed. "Every war has casualties. Look at what happened with Tyrian." I pointed out.

"And Hazel." Emerald added, shifting uncomfortably.

"Look, I get you don't trust me," Cinder reasoned, "I wouldn't trust me either if I were in your shoes, but Crimson set me up and I'm not one to let something like that go. So you can say we have a common enemy."

Juane looked like he wanted to say something else, but turned and stormed out of the room. "Still went better than I expected." I muttered.

"Can you blame him?" Blake asked from her spot against the wall. "She's been the cause of a lot of pain in our lives."

"Hey, I believe in second chances." I replied with a shrug. "Third chances are another story." I added. I could see the flashes of understanding on my friends' faces. If Cinder double crossed us, there would be no mercy. "Is everyone satisfied for now?" I asked. Grunts and nods replied to me and I sighed as I turned to the three newest members of my group. "Let's get the three of you set up then. Nya~" I sang, leading them down the steps toward the rooms.

 _ **And done! Well, what did people think? Good? Bad? Leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	68. Trouble in paradise

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Ilia's POV

"Yang, are you okay?" I asked, looking at my crush warily.

"As okay as I can be with an enemy here." she responded coldly.

"Hey, come on. Don't you trust Allie's judgment?" I asked.

"Hey, I put up with a lot of her 'shifting sides' shit, but this is too much. Neo didn't really cause all that much trouble so we didn't have much bad blood between us, same deal with Tara, but to think she'd let that megalomaniac in is just plain reckless." Yang ranted. "Next we'll end up with half the White Fang who held with Adam's ideals are gonna show up."

I froze. "And if any of them thought like he did, but found their minds changed, would you believe it?" I asked carefully.

"Doubt it. You don't change your mentality that easily. Anyone who claims that is most likely lying." she scoffed. I turned for the door. "Ilia?" she asked.

"Don't touch me." I snarled, turning red as I stormed out and into my own room, locking the door. My red skin turned blue, and I fell to the floor and cried. How could I have been so stupid? I should know better than this.

Yang's POV

She seemed so upset. What did I say? I racked my brain, but I couldn't think of anything. Maybe Blake would know. I got up, looking for my partner. Ending up in the library, I found her in the smut wing. Figures. "Blake, you got a second?" I asked.

Her ears flicked in my direction, and she nodded as she reached for her bookmark. "What's up? You sound troubled." I told her about what Ilia and I were talking about, finishing with when she stormed off. "I have no idea what got into her. She just flipped-OW!" I wailed, rubbing the spot where Blake had Maka Chopped me. What made it worse was the thickness of the book. "What was that for?" I demanded.

"Yang, you idiot. Do you realize how much Ilia hated humans before she came to Beacon?" Blake hissed at me. I shook my head. Ilia hated humans? Is that why she was always so distant in the beginning? "She asked about it because she used to think like Adam. That humans were just scum that needed wiped off the map. But she told me about the girl who changed her view on that."

I caught on to what she was saying. "I need to fix this." I stated, standing.

"No, you need to let her cool off." Blake replied. "She's probably still fuming. Just wait it out." I ignored her, heading straight for Ilia's room.

"Ilia, it's me. Are you there?" I asked. No response. "Look, Blake told me how you used to think of humans. I wanted to say I'm sorry." I waited. Still no response. "Look, I'll wait here for thirty minutes. If you don't open the door by then, I'll leave." The door didn't open. I screwed up.

Cinder's POV

After looking over the room Allie had given the three of us, she left us alone. "Cinder," Emerald began, catching my attention, "I don't want to question your judgement, but are you sure about this? None of them looked especially happy to see us."

I sighed. "Yes, they seemed rather off-put, didn't they?" I replied.

"They were pissed as hell." Mercury interjected.

I glared at him, but nodded. "I'm not saying this transition is going to be easy, but we'll have to at least try. We weren't on bad terms when we were all at Beacon." I suggested.

"Yeah, but that was when they didn't know we worked for Salem." Mercury pointed out.

"Why do you have to be such a pessimist?" Emerald demanded.

"I'm a realist. And the reality is that we aren't welcomed here by most of Allie's friends." Mercury countered.

"Both of you, quiet!" I snapped, sitting on the bed. "Emerald, can you help me with my bandages? They need changed." I requested. Both of my subordinates looked at me in shock. "What?" I asked.

"Nothing, it's just..." Emerald began.

"You just asked for help. It's weird is all." Mercury replied. I rolled my eyes, gesturing Emerald to sit.

"You'll find there are going to be a few things different from here on out." I replied indifferently as Emerald unwrapped my grimm arm. "Oh, and I was going to ask, Mercury. Do you by chance have a sister?"

"Not that I'm aware of. Why?" was the assassin's reply.

"Because the Winter Maiden is Kya Black. I was just curious if there was any relation since she looks like a female version of you." I explained, causing Emerald to giggle. No doubt at the thought of Mercury as a girl.

"Well, Mom did ditch Dad when I was young. Maybe she was pregnant at the time?" Mercury thought aloud. "It's worth lookin into."

Allie's POV

"You think it was the right call to bring Cinder on board, right?" I asked Neo.

' _Strategically it made sense.'_ she replied.

"But you don't agree with my call." I guessed. She looked guiltily at the ground. "I'm not mad or anything. I'm not gonna make a call everyone is going to be happy with all the time." I sighed. "I would have thought Pyrrha being alive would have helped Juane see things my way, but that blew up in my face." I muttered.

"Can you blame him? Thinking you've lost the girl you love isn't exactly something that just goes away, even if they appear in front of you after almost a year." Tara replied, stepping into the room. "Honestly, it's a good thing they didn't just start attacking on sight."

"I know, Tara." I growled. "Did you find what I asked?"

"I still don't get why you didn't put Ilia on this. It's her expertise." she complained, handing me a file. "This wasn't easy to get. I hope you know what you're doing."

"I seem to be getting that a lot lately." I replied dryly, looking over the file. Damm, the remote signal controlling the Paladins could have come from anywhere. And it was too risky to open the vault in Atlas with Watts still at large. "We're going to have to bid out time. We don't know where Watts is, so we'll let him show himself. Until then, let's have a little fun." I decided, ending with a mischievous grin.

"Who's up for some shipping?"

 _ **Dun dun duuuun! What did people think? As you can probably guess, things are going to take a break from the serious for a while. Other than that...Good? Bad? Leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see you next time!**_


	69. A reckoning

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Yang's POV

It had been three days since Cinder appeared, and Ilia still wasn't talking to me. I was out of ideas. Short of cornering her, she was flat out avoiding me. I had to come up with something. Maybe Allie will know something? I went to find the catgirl, ending up just outside her workshop when I heard her talking. "Do you think that's a good idea?" she asked someone. Probably Neo.

"Yes. Otherwise we'll never be able to get along and your operation to defeat Salem will never get off the ground." Cinder's voice answered. I was surprised.

"Cinder, I can't be held responsible for what happens. If you do this, not even the MED Loaders will be able to save you." Allie cautioned. What were they talking about?

"Then I'll have to make sure Emerald is the last person I think about. If anyone deserves these powers I stole it's her." Okay, now I was seriously confused. What the hell has Cinder come up with that could mean her death? Not that I care if that witch dies, but it didn't make sense and that made me curious.

Cinder stepped out, and nearly ran into me. "Yang, perfect timing." she greeted. "I imagine you need to discuss something with Allie, so go right in. But please, meet me at the Gate once you're done." I nodded, entering the workshop.

"Hiya Yang. What's up?" Allie asked.

I remembered why I had come here in the first place. "I was hoping you'd have an idea of how I could make up with Ilia. I said something really stupid, and now she won't talk to me." I explained.

"In that case, I'm afraid I can't help much." Allie replied sadly. I was about to snap, but she kept talking. "Believe me, I'd love nothing more than to get Ilia's spirits back to where they used to be, but she won't talk to anyone. Not even Blake." I sighed. I really screwed up if Ilia wasn't talking to Blake. "If you think of something, let me know. You're not the only one worried about her."

I nodded, leaving to find Cinder.

Allie's POV

"So what do you intend to do?" I asked. "You heard her, she seriously regrets what she said. You could at least give her a chance to apologize."

"I don't want to hear it." Ilia replied, uncloaking from against the wall. She was getting good at that. "I don't want anything to do with her."

"Well can you at least make sure Cinder doesn't get herself killed? We need to get the Beacon Vault open and I'd rather not chance it." I requested. Ilia nodded, and followed the girl I knew she still loved. Let's hope this turns out well.

Cinder's POV

This wasn't exactly the smartest thing I ever did, but if I wanted them to trust me I didn't have much choice. Plus, it wasn't like I didn't deserve it. Pretty soon, RWBY and JNPR were standing in front of me. "I'm sure you're wondering why I called you all here." I began.

"That's one of the questions on our mind." Juane muttered.

I flinched at the tone, but continued. "Look, I get you all don't like me. I can't say I blame you. But we need to be able to at least work together if we're going to beat Salem. But that can't happen as long as you still see me as your enemy. So I've come to a decision."

"You're leaving?" Nora asked hopefully.

"Nora." Ren scolded.

"What? You don't like her here either." the ginger girl countered.

"I'll leave my fate in your hands." I finished. "Beat me, throw me out, kill me, I won't resist. Do as you please."

"Cinder, no!" Emerald gasped, trying to come to me. Mercury held her back, though.

"All I ask is you give Emerald and Mercury a chance. They only did what I told them." I requested, causing the Gate to fall silent. I smiled sadly. I wish I had paid more attention to Emerald. It was clear she had a crush on me, but I never considered her.

"Are you serious?" Yang asked, stepping forward. "You'll let us do anything we want, just give Emerald and Mercury a chance?" I nodded, and Yang closed her eyes. I waited for her to do something, probably punch my head off my shoulders. I heard she did that to an ursa once. "Maybe I misread you." she said after a while. My eyes widened in shock. "After all, you can't be completely evil if you're putting your lapdogs first."

"I'm not a dog!" Mercury shouted.

Yang chuckled, turning. "I'm willing to give you a chance. Don't make me regret it." she said, leaving heading for Moxxxie's.

Juane approached, glaring at me. I met his gaze, and he raised his hand. I didn't even flinch as he slapped me. "I'll never be able to forgive you for what you did." he hissed. "But you're right. If we can't work together, we'll never win." he sighed. "But after everything is said and done, I don't want to see you again."

I nodded, and he followed Yang with his team in tow. I guess that was my punishment from all of JNPR. Cold acceptance until we had defeated Salem. I could live with that. Ruby approached me next. "I hated you for what you did to my friends and my school." she informed. "What you had Emerald do to Penny. But you were an enemy carrying out orders, right?" she asked.

"Yes, though the particulars were left to me, the Fall of Beacon was my mission. As well as recovering the other half of the Fall Maiden's power." I replied.

"When you were posing as students, was any of it real?" she asked. "Was that feeling of friendship just fake?"

"It was then." I replied honestly, causing her to stiffen. "But maybe we can try again? For real this time?" I asked hopefully.

Ruby smiled. "For real this time." she agreed, turning to Blake and Weiss, who nodded their agreement. Then, to my deep surprise, she grabbed my hand. "Come on then! Let's catch up to the others, I want some cookies!"

I laughed as she pulled me toward Moxxxie's. "Emerald, Mercury, let's go!" I called behind me. I heard the two of them call a quick, "Coming" before Ruby pulled me into the bar.

Allie's POV

I heard the door open. "How'd it go?" I asked casually.

"Cold acceptance from JNPR, and a clean slate from RWBY." Tara informed.

"And Ilia?" I pressed.

"She went to Moxxxie's with the rest." was the Maiden's reply.

"Good." I sighed. "Do you think it was wise to bring her on?"

"Cinder? I can't say for sure. She did kill that Amber girl, but beyond that she really didn't do all that much. Sure, she lied about who she was and downloaded the virus to the CCT Tower, but beyond that she really didn't do much." Tara reasoned.

"Yeah, when you think about it, Cinder sucks at being evil." I chuckled.

Yang's POV

I ate my burger, not really getting into the mood of the room as Ruby welcomed Cinder. Have to admit, out of all of us I was expecting her to be the least receptive of the Fall Maiden. But lo and behold, she was probably the most welcoming at the moment. I still had my doubts, but I was willing to push them aside for now.

"Yang." I heard next to me. I whipped around to see Ilia standing behind me. "Can we talk?" I nodded, following her outside.

 _ **And done! Well, what do people think? And I feel as though I forgot something here. Anyone know? Well, I guess leave a review and see everyone next time!**_


	70. Allie ships Emberald

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I watched everyone interact. RWBY seemed to be falling into the friendly dynamic from back at Beacon, much to Emerald's annoyance. But I noticed she was sticking close to Cinder. It was pretty obvious Cinder held a special place in the mint-haired girl's heart, but I decided to see just what kind of a place. "Neo, remember that thing we were planning for Yang and Ilia?" I asked. Neo nodded, and I grinned. "Let's have a little fun with our new recruits." I suggested.

' _Speaking of Ilia, looks like she's back to normal.'_ Neo pointed out. On the surface, she was right. Ilia and Yang were talking again, which was good, but Ilia was still apprehensive about the blonde's presence.

"Not yet, but they'll get there." I replied, pulling my scroll out. "We'll need somewhere that serves actually filling food. Not something we'll need a magnifying glass to see." Neo giggled at my joke. "Thanks, I'll be here all week." I replied. "Got it. And it serves faunus so that'll make things easier." I noted. "Ro-sham-bo you for Cinder." I offered.

' _Yeah, because I can beat you at that.'_ Neo replied with an eye roll. ' _I'll handle Emerald. We can talk thief to thief.'_

I giggled, nodding as I came over and tapped the Fall Maiden's shoulder. "I need to borrow this." I informed the rest as I gestured for Cinder to follow. "So, here's the thing. I had these reservations at a little restaurant, but something came up that needs my attention. I was wondering if you'd be interested?"

"Why not Ilia? Or Ruby and Penny?" Cinder asked suspiciously. Okay, good point.

"Ilia and Yang are still a little rocky, so that's a no-go until they're a bit closer to back to normal. And I don't think Ruby would like it there, they don't have cookies." I explained quickly.

Cinder glanced behind her and sighed. "This is a ploy to get me with Emerald, isn't it?" she asked dryly.

"Noooo." I replied, not meeting her eye. Cinder fixed me with a dry look and I relented. "Yeah. It's a ploy to get you with Emerald." I admitted.

"Where's the restaurant and what time should I be there?" Cinder asked dryly.

"You're taking this remarkably well." I noted, pulling a piece of paper with the info she needed on it and handing it to her. "The reservation is for seven tonight." Cinder rolled her eyes, but I swear she was blushing as she turned away.

Neo appeared next to me soon after. "Well, Cinder's onto us. How did it go on your end?"

' _Bout the same. Think they're gonna show up?'_ she replied.

"They will." I assured, turning to where Yang and Ilia were playing some Borderlands 2. "Let's see how they're doing." I suggested.

Cinder's POV

As I got ready for dinner tonight, I had to admit I was...nervous. It hadn''t been just the two of us ever since Mercury joined our little group. And I had to shut off the part of me that made me think of myself as the boss. For tonight, I was just a woman going on a date with an attractive girl. An attractive girl who would follow me through hell without a second thought and I'd do more than I'd care to admit to protect. I arrived at the restaurant ten minutes beforehand in the red cocktail dress I had found in my closet. And of course, Emerald was already there. She was in a green dress similar to mine, but it didn't quite hug her curves like mine did. "Emerald, you look stunning tonight." I greeted.

She turned to see me, blushing as she caught my eye. "Y-you as well." she replied humbly, bowing her head.

I smiled at the little act of submission, pulling her chin up to meet my eye again. "None of that tonight. We're not boss and subordinate, we're just two women having dinner. Understood?" I got an enthusiastic nod and a hopeful gaze as she slipped her hand into mine. We were brought to our tables, and after ordering a drink, I looked over the menu. "Well, the tuna melt looks good. What do you think?" I asked.

"Well, I was thinking of the Braised Leeks with Fried Egg looks good." she replied. I nodded and when the waiter brought over the drinks, we ordered and waited. "So, this is a thing."

"A dream come true of you, I'd imagine." I chuckled, causing her to blush. "Oh come now, Emerald. Did you honestly think I didn't notice?"

"W-well I didn't think you'd ever return my feelings, so I tried to hide them." she admitted, head bowed in embarrassment.

My look soured. "And who told you such a foolish thing as that?" I asked. Emerald's head whipped up in shock. "I didn't just chose you for your semblance and talents. I wouldn't waste my time on someone if they didn't at least look cute."

"Then why did we recruit Torchwick?" Emerald joked. I found myself laughing, and from there we fell into an easy conversation. How long had it been since we had just talked like this? I knew. The last time was when Mercury joined us. After our food was brought, we dug in. "I've missed this." Emerald said after a bite. I looked up at her curiously. "Back before Mercury, it was just us, like this. Not always at a fancy place like this, just in whatever house we were staying at. You'd be cooking in the kitchen, I'd be trying to learn and not set the place on fire."

"You only did that once and we got control of it rather quickly." I pointed out, causing us both to giggle at the memory. Then I sighed. "You're right. It has been a while since it's been just the two of us." I admitted.

"Oh no, I understand!" Emerald started talking quickly, a habbit of hers when she was nervous. "What with our plans and finding the Fall Maiden, we just didn't have the time we used to. It didn't ever bother me much, really."

I smiled sadly, placing my hand on hers. "What do you say we start having days like this again? Just you and me?" I asked.

"W-well if you really want to." she replied uneasily.

"I want to, Emerald. The question is do you?" I pressed.

She smiled, nodding. "I would love to have days where it's just the two of us again." she replied. We fell back into our easy conversation, and dinner went smoothly from there.

...

As we came to our room, I paused. "I need to talk to Allie about something. I'll be right back." I promised.

"Of course." Emerald replied, nodding. I turned to head to the holo-table room when I felt a small pressure on my cheek. I glanced back at a blushing Emerald, who retreated into the room before I could say anything. I smiled, surprised at her boldness, but decided to address it later as I went to thank my new boss for this chance to reconnect with my most loyal subordinate.

 _ **And done! I think I'll work on Yang and Ilia's relationship next, maybe play with the whole Mercury's sister thing after that. So, what did you guys think? And yeah, Cinder's slightly OOC, but I think I kept to her base personality well enough, don't you? Well, leave a review with your thoughts, and I'll see you all next time!**_


	71. Lava Lamp Scheme

_**Yang and Ilia, here we go.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Allie's POV

"We have to get them back to normal." I sighed, watching Yang and Ilia tiptoe around each other. It was the day after Neo and I had sent Emerald and Cinder on their date, and while those two seemed closer than ever, the same couldn't be said about the dragon and the chameleon.

"Maybe we should sic Calavera on them?" Tara suggested.

"That seems a little extreme, besides that old lady vanished as soon as we hit Atlas Academy." Weiss pointed out.

"Maybe I can talk to Yang, and Blake can talk to Ilia?" Ruby suggested.

"That could just push them farther apart." Ren pointed out. If you hadn't figured it out by now, everyone except Cinder's trio and the subjects of our discussion were present and brainstorming. So far we hadn't figured anything out.

"What are we talking about?" Emerald asked, coming in behind us with Cinder and Emerald.

"Those idiots getting back to normal." I replied, pointing a thumb at the faunus and brawler.

"Have you tried locking them in a room together?" Mercury suggested.

"If Ilia didn't pick the lock, Yang would punch open the door." Juane replied. We all nodded at his assessment, except for Mercury who just smirked. Okay?

"What about just a subtle breakaway where everyone is together, then we all start leaving until it's just the two of them?" Emerald supplied.

"No good, they'd just end up sitting there awkwardly." Tara shot down. Again, nods across the room and a Mercury smirk.

"What about a dungeon run?" Cinder asked.

I was about to reply, but something about the suggestion made me pause. "Continue." I said.

"Well think about it, you said you always get separated if a pitfall trap brings you to a different floor, right?" The Fall Maiden explained. "It'll be a little annoying, but we could try faking one with Emerald and Neo's semblances. Then we just hide and wait it out."

I considered the options. "That's...actually not a bad idea. Shall we try it?" I asked, opening my party functions. Everyone nodded and I sent the request to Ilia, Yang, Emerald, and Cinder and they joined my and Neo's party.

Not two seconds later did the chameleon and dragon appear. "Hey, saw you wanted us for a dungeon run?" Yang asked.

"Yeah. You guys, Cinder, and Emerald. There's a dungeon nearby with a rare drop I was aiming for. Not the Head, unfortunately, but a skill book that could really help me against Crimson." Both the girls nodded at my explanation and we were off.

...

We were midway through the "Halls of Endless Night" when I nodded to Emerald and Neo. They nodded back, and I waited.

Ilia's POV

Damn, why couldn't I just act normal? I glanced nervously at Yang, who was looking somewhat nervous herself, or maybe she was just on alert? Those shadow stalkers came out of nowhere. Yeah, that was probably it. Allie and the others pulled ahead of the two of us, but then suddenly the ground opened beneath their feet. "Oh SHIT!" Allie screamed as they fell into the black emptyness. The hole closed up and I gasped, where had that come from?

"Guys!" I shouted in panic. Yang grabbed my arm before I could rush forward.

"Ilia, calm down. It's Allie we're talking about, they'll be fine." she said soothingly.

I took a deep breath, gathering my thoughts. "You're right. Thanks." I sighed, standing straight. I checked the time on my scroll. "Shit. We need to find them quick." I stated, carefully making my way down the hall. After all, if we didn't find the others and get out, we wouldn't make our reservations. I sighed.

"Do you think we should have told them we had plans already?" Yang asked.

"Then they would have wondered what we were up to." I pointed out.

"Well, yeah, but we could have lured Allie away and asked her to keep it a secret. It wouldn't have gone farther than Neo that way." Yang pointed out.

"Yeah, but your sister would have badgered us until we spilled just to get her to shut up." I replied, smiling dryly. "Look, I get you want to scream our new relationship from the rooftops, I do too, but we agreed we'd keep quiet for the time being."

"WAIT WHAT?" I heard a shriek behind me. I turned to see Allie anime-falling from behind a rock. "Who what huh? Relationship? Are you dating?" she demanded.

"H-hey boss. You got back quickly." I said nervously. Shit, this was bad. Wait, was it bad? Like Yang said, it wouldn't get farther than Neo this way.

"I must say, I was not expecting this turn of events." I gulped as Cinder walked out from cover. Okay, still okay. Only Emerald and Mercury will know beyond the people here and they'll keep quiet if Cinder tells them to.

"And we went through all that trouble to fake that trap." Emerald sighed. Oh yeah, she's here. She's so quiet sometimes. Neo nodded her agreement as she appeared next.

"Wait, what's going on here?" Yang asked.

"Well..."Allie said sheepishly, "IT WAS CINDER'S IDEA!" she screamed, pointing to the Maiden.

"Hey, we all thought they were so nervous around each other because of that screw-up with Yang! If I had known _this_ is what was going on instead, I would have told you all to butt out!" Cinder argued. This continued for the rest of the dungeon while Emerald and Neo explained what was going on and we found the skill book Allie wanted. Something called "Life Form Creation." Wonder what she wants with that?

...

We made it back to Atlas, and Yang and I headed to dinner. "I cannot believe them." I sighed.

"Hey, they were just trying to look out for us." Yang replied, opening the door for me. "Come on, let's enjoy our date." she suggested. I rolled my eyes, nodding.

Allie's POV

How the hell did I miss that? "So...Yang and Ilia?" I asked. "I mean, I knew it was gonna happen, but for it to happen here and now, with no one the wiser."

"Actually..." I heard a familiar voice behind me. I whipped around to see Mercury, leaning against the Gate with arms crossed and that damned smirk on his face.

"How?" I demanded.

"Well..."

Mercury's POV, a few days ago

Well, this was officially boring for me. Sure, Ruby was a bubbly ball of joy, but I just wasn't getting into it. I decided to take a small walk before jumping onto the overhang just outside Moxxxie's. I don't know why, but I always felt more at ease up high. Heh, maybe it was because my dad couldn't climb worth crap? Anyway, I sat on the overhang for a while before hearing some footsteps beneath me. Leaning over, I saw the bimbo and the chameleon step outside and away from the door. Curious, I listened in.

"So, what did you want to talk about Ilia?" Yang asked.

"I...I wanted to say I'm sorry for ignoring you." Ilia replied.

"No, I should be the one apologizing. I really hurt you, and there's no way I can make up for that. I'm really sorry, Ilia." Yang replied with a low bow. Huh, didn't know blondie had it in her to look so humble.

"Yeah, you hurt me," Ilia chuckled dryly. "But I hurt you by not hearing you out. So I guess we're both jerks." The two shared a small laugh before the chameleon spoke again. "There is one way you can make it up to me though."

"Name it." Yang demanded.

"Take me out to dinner?" Ilia asked turning pink. I blinked. Did the shy one of this pair just?

"A-are you asking me on a date?" Yang stuttered. Guess I wasn't the only one shocked. Ilia nodded, and Yang smiled as she approached the faunus. "I'd love to take you out to dinner, is this Saturday okay?" she asked. Ilia nodded again, and Yang smiled. "Now I can think of a way to make it up to me for ignoring me." Ilia looked up in confusion, and even I saw where that was going as Yang closed the distance. I snapped a photo and left them to their mushy stuff.

Allie's POV, back to the present

"Seriously? Back then?" I demanded. Mercury nodded. I cursed. "You could have told me."

"Where's the fun in that?" Mercury replied, walking down the street toward Moxxxie's. "If you need me, I'll be getting a bite." he called over his shoulder.

 _ **And done! Well, that happened. And who caught on pretty fast to what was really going on? Anyway, good? Bad? Not enough? Leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	72. Date and ambush

_**Okay, who said you guys wouldn't see the date? I didn't. Now that I've got this mapped out in my head, You ready for this?**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Ilia's POV

"You didn't!" I laughed.

"I did! Freaked Dad out something fierce." Yang admitted, joining me in my laughter. "There's a lot of things I did that freaked out Dad. Some of the few times he actually was a dad after...you know." We fell silent. Summer was always a tricky subject. The wrong question was usually answered with awkward silence.

"Is everything to your liking?" the waiter asked as he passed.

"Oh yeah, everything is great." Yang replied.

"Same with me." I added. The waiter nodded and left the table. We continued to share stories and laughs, eating out dinner which was just as good as it looked and twice as filling. "So, what do you think we'll do next?" I asked nervously.

"Against Salem?" Yang asked in a low voice. I nodded and she shrugged. "Well, Watts is still at large. Not sure what we can do without at least running him out of Atlas." she sighed. "Honestly, I wish Allie would figure something out and fill us in."

"She's flying blind, Yang. Coming to Atlas was the last thing from her world." I reasoned.

"I know that." Yang sighed again, rubbing her real arm. "But I can't help but worry."

"How do you think she feels?" I asked. "The boss is doing everything she can to make sure we all come out alive. That is her primary concern." She had told me as much. One of the few times she let the personas of the cute catgirl and the calculating leader down and was just Allie, the girl from another world. "Hey, remember the first few weeks after Nora found out?" I asked.

"She kept calling Allie a space alien for weeks!" Yang laughed as we split the bill. We headed out of the restaurant hand-in-hand, still swapping war stories when I felt something crawl up my spine. "Ilia." Yang warned, cocking her prosthetic's shotgun.

"I heard them." I replied, "Opening the Vault." I whispered, retrieving Rainbow Fang. "I count ten. Wow, these guys don't know who they're messing with." I chuckled, clicking the blade to whip mode. "Betcha I can beat more." I challenged.

"Oh? And what do I get if I win?" Yang asked with a cocked eyebrow, summoning her other gauntlet.

"Oh, you'll find out." I grinned, watching the shadows. If I learned anything doing recon and sabotage for the White Fang and Allie, it's that I always need to watch the shadows. I heard something whistle down, and I reflexively knocked it out of the air. "A dart?" I wondered, taking in the strange design. My eyes widened. "This is!" I gasped before hearing a clink.

"These things suppress aura." Yang noted, grabbing the dart that had bounced off her prosthetic. "Everything about them makes my instincts scream danger." I nodded, clicking Rainbow fang back to sword mode. I'd need it to block the darts. But I didn't even hear the next one as I felt a prick in my neck.

"Shit." I hissed, pulling the dart from my neck. My world became dark, and I heard Yang yell for me as I fell into unconsciousness.

Kya's POV

I was just out for a walk, enjoying the night air when I heard a thud. I looked around, ducking behind a garbage can on instinct. I peeked out, seeing that blonde girl and her faunus friend surrounded by a bunch of thug-looking guys. "Come on, we need to get these guys to Schnee." one declared. My temper flared. Having a faunus in my team, I heard all about the discrimination of the Schnee family. Needless to say, I didn't like it. I summoned my powers and threw an icy wind to throw them off the side of the city.

I ran to the two girls, trying to shake them awake. No good, they must have been drugged with something. I went through the russet-haired girl's pockets and found that weird cone thing that I had seen the cat, Allie, use. I forced myself to remember what she had said. "I open the Path to Sanctuary." I spoke, and a freaking portal opened up right in front of me! I pulled them both through, and to my relief some of the pair's friends were hanging out near where we came out.

"What happened?" the blonde boy asked worriedly, he and the redheaded girl taking the blonde girl from me.

"I saw some thugs ambushing them. I think they've been drugged." I replied, handing the other girl off to the dark-haired guy and the ginger girl. "They said something about bringing them to Schnee. I couldn't just ignore them." I explained quickly as they pulled the unconscious girls through the... whatever this is.

"What happened?" the cat from before asked, coming around the corner with who I was pretty sure was her girlfriend. The blonde boy explained, pointing to me, and Allie came over to me. "Hey Kya. Thanks so much for saving my friends." she greeted with a sigh. "You're sure the thugs said Schnee?"

"Absolutely." I replied confidently. Again Allie sighed. "Neo, get everyone to Zed's. Jackass Schnee's gone too far this time." the quiet girl, Neo I guess, nodded and pulled out her scroll.

Allie's POV

Everyone joined in the clinic, and I filled them in on what we knew. "He's doing it to blackmail me into coming back." Weiss declared sadly.

"We won't let that happen." Ruby promised, putting a comforting hand on her partner's shoulder. Turning to me, she asked, "What's the plan?"

"Well I was thinking of turning Neo on him." I admitted, causing my fiancee to grin.

"No." Everyone but my own team and what we had begun calling the Fall Trio snapped.

"Yeah, thought you guys were gonna say that." I sighed. Honestly, being the good guy was so annoying sometimes. "We can't go to Ironwood without evidence, and I doubt we're going to just find it lying around."

"That depends." Weiss replied, stepping forward. "If you know where to look, we can just find it lying around."

"Continue." I urged.

"He keeps all his transactions on his computer. If we can get a copy, prove he did hired those thugs..." Weiss explained.

"We can use it for more than just proving he tried to abduct Yang and Ilia." Blake pointed out. "Every dark secret will be on that computer."

"No." I vetoed. "I get how you feel, Blake. But if we expose all of the SDC's secrets like that, there won't be a SDC for me to help Weiss take over when this is all over." Blake's eyes widened, and she nodded her agreement. "If you draw a map, Neo can get it." I informed, turning back to the ex-heiress. Weiss nodded, turning to the holotable. Looks like we have some scheming to do.

"Schnee has no idea who he messed with." Mercury muttered.

"What do you know? We agree on something for once, Merc." Emerald jabbed, causing everyone to laugh.

"Merc?" Kya asked after a second? "Mercury Black?" she asked.

"Uhh, yeah." Merc replied uncertainly.

Everyone parted to let the Winter Maiden through as she smiled, tears in her eyes. "I've wanted to meet you for so long. Mom always said I had a brother she couldn't get away from that bastard." Everyone's eyes widened.

There were cheers and groans as lien switched hands. Merc had a sister. One more reason to keep the kid safe.

 _ **And done! I hinted at it back when we met her, and again when Cinder and Kya killed Tyrian. So...what did people think? Honestly, I'm running low on ideas so I'm probably gonna move through Atlas quick and deal with Salem soon after. Leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	73. Atlas Attack: Part 1

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Neo's POV

I was pissed. I knew Jackass Schnee was capable of some crappy stuff, but attacking my friends was crossing the line. He was gonna pay. Glancing next to me, I wondered if I could fake a suicide with Emerald's help. Since Ilia had been groggy when she woke up and her aura was dangerously low, she had been benched along with her girlfriend. Neither liked the idea, but Allie's word is final in that city. We moved through Atlas silently, aiming for the mansion.

Allie's POV

I went through the security cam footage I had "found" during a little look through the Atlas Mainframe, sighing as I saw a bullhead leaving the city. "Looks like Watts flew the coop." I noted dryly, dismissing the screens and opening up the other tab I was working on. "If I combine the life-support with the perpetual motion engine used to keep Sanctuary in the air, I may be able to pull it off." I muttered.

"Pull what off?" Ruby asked, appearing next to me.

I screamed. "Damn it Ruby! Don't sneak up on me!" I snapped, turning back to my notes. "Well, I'm working on a little project I wanted to start so us lesbians can have kids that are 100% our own. It's also the reason I wanted that book." I explained. "I've just got to figure out a few more particulars."

"So you and Neo could have a kid?" Ruby asked curiously, looking at the notes. "These make my brain hurt." she complained.

"Me and Neo, Cinder and Emerald, you and Penny." I listed, the last one catching the reaper's attention. "Living flesh means living DNA."I pointed out, hearing the door open behind me. I caught the familiar scent of my fiancee and smiled sweetly, turning to see Neo flashing a thumb-drive with her signature grin. "Any problems?"

"A few guards are gonna wake up with a nasty headache, and Schnee himself isn't going to be able to explain away the scar over his eye." Emerald replied casually.

"Nothing we weren't expecting then." I shrugged, taking the flash drive and getting to work. "Looks like everything we need is here." I noted, noticing the file in the corner. "What's this one?" I asked.

' _Something to help with Weiss' takeover of the company.'_ Neo replied. I grinned, kissing her for a job well done before returning to my work.

...

The papers ate the news alive. _Schnee hired thugs to kidnap Huntresses in training!_ the headlines read. I made sure the whole gang was there when Jackass was arrested. He was spitting all sorts of threats when he saw us, but my favorite was, "When I get out, I'll destroy every last one of you!"

"I enjoyed that more than I should have." Penny stated, earning a chuckle from her friends. "So, what's our next move Friend Allie?" the terminator asked.

"I looked over some files yesterday. Salem is moving on Vacuo." I replied, leading my group away.

"You're sure?" Ren asked.

"The grimm influx and reports of flying monkeys suggest it." I replied. "And then there's the relic we need from Beacon." I added, very annoyed. "Has anyone seen Kya recently? Merc?" Everyone turned toward the assassin.

"She said something about hanging with her team." he replied, waving us off.

Rolling my eyes, I replied, "Find her. We need to get the relic here before anything."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Oscar asked. "You know what happens when all four relics are brought together."

"Brought together and activated." I corrected. "Besides, there isn't exactly a lot of humanity to destroy in the Vault. Well, there's the Doc, but I can get him out quickly enough." Everyone looked at me uncertainly. "Look, we're running low on time. As things stand, we'll need to split up to get the relics under Sanctuary control and stop-" the world tilted. "Please tell me that didn't come from Atlas Academy." I groaned. We took off.

Kya's POV

I stumbled to my feet. "Flynt? Neon? Iri?" I called, looking at our now wrecked room. We had just been hanging out, playing games and stuff when suddenly there was an explosion and the whole school shook. I received three groans in response, and sighed in relief knowing my team was okay. "Alright everyone, let's check what the hell that was out."

"I don't know if that's possible, Kya." Neon called, the dust around her settling to reveal one of the beds crushing her leg. "Good news is I can't feel it." she said weakly. An ice spike got the bed off her, and Flynt and I worked to pull her out.

"New plan, we get Neon to the infirmary, maybe find Allie and her friends, and then we find out what's going on." I suggested. "What do you think, oh fearless leader?" I asked Flynt.

The musician chuckled. "Like I could stop you, Kya." was his response. He was right. Atlas almost kicked me out on multiple occasions because of how uncontrollable I was, but Ironwood himself intervened every time. Guess he didn't want the Winter Maiden wandering the streets unsupervised.

"Oh, I'm afraid I can't allow that." Came a sarcastic voice, followed by three shots each hitting my friends.

"Guys!" I shouted in worry, turning to face our attacker with ice and snow swirling around me, taking the form of my favorite spear. "What do you want?" I demanded, placing myself between me and the(at a guess) Mistralian man in front of me holding a smoking energy pistol.

"Why my dear, I want you." he replied smugly.

 _ **Guess even Allie can get things wrong once in a while. Anyway, probably in the last stretch of this fic. Maybe ten chapters left and I'll start working on the sequel after figuring some home issues out. So leave a review and I'll see everyone next time.**_

 _ **And don't worry, Qrow will show up soon.**_


	74. Atlas Attack: Part 2

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

Allie's POV

We ran straight to Kya's room, and after hauling the three injured Atlas hunters to Zed's(I had better medical care than anything Atlas had), we hauled ass toward the scent of Watts. Damn it, the asshole tricked me. he knew I would expect to see the only Atlas ship leaving and think it was him. As we ran through the halls of the academy, sirens went off all around us.

I cursed, looking out a convenient window and saw, surprise surprise, flying monkeys. "For fuck's sake." I groaned, pinching the bridge of my nose. "Alright, split up. ANTI, Fall Trio, we're going after Watts and Kya. The rest of you, blow those grimm out of the sky. Free reign." I ordered, causing many understanding nods and some sadistic grins to form as Nora threw the window open.

"Opening the Vault! Let's fly BNK3R!" she called, jumping into her defense bot.

"Ren, keep an eye on her?" I requested, earning a nod from the ninja before he vanished. RWBY, JNPR, and Penny leaped outside, intent to end the threat while my own team and Cinder's continued to look for the missing Maiden and Salem minion.

Ruby's POV

There were so many. I hadn't seen this many grimm in one place since the Fall of Beacon. I shook the thoughts from my head, activating my semblance and heading toward the battle. With a battle cry, I swung Crescent Rose and cut one of the flying beringel in half before speeding to the next one. I heard shots, and saw beams of energy from both above and below the battle. Nora and Penny. A giant white knight appeared next, and I grinned as my partner's favorite summon swung its massive sword, if not killing then seriously injuring the beringel as we continued to fight.

It took them a while to react, but one got a lucky punch on me and knocked me into a roof, winding me and bruising my back. The beringel flew in for the kill, but I saw a flash of steel and Uncle Qrow was there. "Uncle Qrow!" I gasped in relief as he landed next to me. "Where have you been?" I questioned.

"Well, I was getting drunk at one of the bars when Ice Queen showed up and knocked some sense into me." he replied. I was curious why Weiss never mentioned this, then I saw a second set of glyphs appear around more of the grimm. Oh, _that_ Ice Queen. I smiled. With both Uncle Qrow and Winter here, plus our own skills and the singularity bullets Allie let us use, we actually had a chance. BNK3R fired again, taking out more than its fair share of grimm.

"That weird friend of yours has some freaky tech." Uncle Qrow noted, converting to bird mode and taking flight toward the beringel nearest us. Guess I get the next nearest. This was going to be fun.

Allie's POV

We managed to find the Vault pretty quickly, all things considered. Of course if the place wasn't guarded by infected Atlas Knights it would be even better. "Tara, light em up!" I snapped, watching a bright bolt of lightning skip from robot to inferior robot, frying the circuits and causing each to drop. "Move out!" I snapped, jumping down the elevator shaft, everyone following.

We landed to see Kya held at gunpoint by Watts surrounded by, surprise, more infected bots. "Ah, look what the cat dragged in." Watts sneered.

"Let her go, Watts." Cinder commanded, igniting her palms. "Your bots can't beat us."

"Perhaps not, but I also have this." he replied, holding up what looked like a grenade. "My associate, Crimson gave it to me. Said it was some kind of portable shield that could withstand twenty Atlas Gunship barrages."

"I'll bet I can beat that." I declared, wondering which of my spells and skills would get the job done fastest. Probably _that._ Well, I imagine I'll find out soon enough.

"Oh no doubt, but by the time you do, I'll have the relic and be on my merry way." Watts replied snidely, snapping his fingers. The bots opened fire and the lot of us scattered as best we could. Thankfully, this room had a bit more floor than the last vault I fought in.

"Cat Party Blaster!" I commanded, my cat tails taking out a lot of bots, but more were still firing and I had to switch to my Wilt and Blush stance to block them all.

"Take this!" Cinder shouted, throwing her palms out and letting out a huge gust of wind followed by the mother of all fireballs. And anyone wanna guess what happens when a fire-type attack hits a steel type? It's super effective. Wow, most of those things were pretty much slag at this point. I used the special addition of my Wilt and Blush stance to send an energy wave to take out another portion, and Emerald and Mercury tagteamed another three. Neo was just kicking them down while Tara or Ilia stabbed them, beheaded them, or otherwise killed them.

I looked at Watts, who was grinning as he pulled something from his pocket. My eyes widened as I saw a second gun replace the shield grenade. What was worse, Cinder wasn't paying attention, got knocked on her ass, and her aura flickered as she barbacued the knight responsible, was in the line of fire. "Cinder, look out!" I screamed, trying to fight my way through the bots to her. Damn, why were there so many? Seriously, did he infect half the freaking Atlas military knights in the kingdom?

Cinder's eye met Watts', the gun fired, blood splattered, and an amber eye widened in horror. "EMERALD!" the Fall Maiden screamed. I managed to get over to the pair, and saw a rather worrying hole in the mint-haired thief's stomach. What was more heartbreaking was Cinder holding her close. "Damn it, why did you do that?" she demanded of her subordinate.

"I just...wanted to be useful to you." Emerald replied weakly. I quickly scrolled through my items and spells. Where was it? "That's all I...ever wanted." the thief was still talking.

"Just shut up! Save your strength, I still need you!" Cinder commanded, holding back her sobs. I heard shots nearby, and saw the gray hair of Mercury as he fought back the knights, gaining their attention and buying me time. "Damn it, Emerald. You can't do this when we still have so much to do!"

I looked over my shoulder, and saw Emerald smile. "You know something? I actually thought when all was said and done...we could be..." she never finished as her red eyes closed and her hand fell limp.

Cinder shook the girl lightly. "Emerald, wake up." she whispered. No response. "I said wake up damnit!" she shouted angrily. "I gave you an order! You know what happens when you don't follow my orders!" she shouted. Emerald lay motionless.

"N-no way." I heard Ilia gasp as she appeared next to me, trying to fend off the advancing, seemingly endless horde of knights. The others fell in, and each looked at Emerald in horror and sadness.

"She can't be." Tara gasped.

"Th-this isn't funny, Em." Merc snapped brokenly. Emerald still lay motionless.

ANTI and Mercury turned toward the horde, where we could see Watts smiling in satisfaction. "You're dead bastard!" Tara snarled, throwing lighting and gale-force winds everywhere.

"How dare you!" Ilia screamed, Rainbow Fang becoming a blur of steel as it butchered more bots. Neo and Mercury let out angry war cries as they joined the fray.

This wasn't right. This wasn't right! No one was supposed to die on my watch! Suddenly the temperature in the room began to rise. I heard a voice behind me. "You will not die here alone." Cinder declared, standing slowly. "Watts, you bastard. How dare you. You think you can take what's _mine?"_ she demanded, her visible eye blazing as she stepped forward. The temperature increased further. "I don't give a damn about Remnant." she admitted, "But even if this world ends today, and even if every last drop of my blood boils away, you'll pay for this. I'll drag you to hell with me!" she swore. The heat was almost overwhelming.

And for the first time in my life, I was afraid of Cinder Fall.

 _ **And done! Well, shit just got real. And yeah, I took some inspiration from Highschool DxD for the last scene, but I always kinda loved the idea of an overpowered chick just kinda... flipping out. So, what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Not enough? Leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	75. Atlas Attack: Part 3

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I could barely breathe with how hot it was. Was this the full power of a Maiden? _No,_ I realized, _This is the full power of Cinder._ She hadn't been able to let loose until now. Now, every ounce of her wrath was channeled into the flames she conjured. I searched my item list faster. Where was it? I know I had it! There! I summoned a small yin-yang like ball and began the activation procedure.

Cinder's POV

I'll kill him. I'll kill them all. I'll make the world _burn._ Similar thoughts were running through my head as I melted the robots in my way with the heat I was radiating. Emerald was mine, and no one takes what's mine. I'm not that frightened girl anymore. "Now burn." I commanded, unleashing flames hotter than anything I've conjured before right at Watts.

He threw down the grenade Crimson had given him, and my fire was deflected. That's fine, there's plenty more where that came from. "You'll never win against me!" Watts snapped at me. "Not when I have the girl. I know how your new boss thinks, she hates getting others involved."

"I'm not my boss." I replied coldly, throwing flame after flame against the shield. "I'll kill you for this, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Watts' eyes widened. "You...cared for that girl." He realized. He knocked Kya out, hitting her in the head with the butt of his gun before shooting it. Fun fact, if the flames are hot enough, they can vaporize any sort of bullets. And right now, my flames were hotter than hell. I heard fighting behind me. I couldn't find it in me to care. My opponent was in front of me, and I would see him dead before day's end.

I threw another jet of flames. The shield shattered and Watts dodged, only getting burns instead of having his flesh melted from his bones. I sent another jet out, this time forcing him to fall to his stomach to avoid death. "You can't dodge me forever." I spat, summoning my swords and rushing him. But he extended what looked like some collapsible sword and blocked my downward slash. I continued my assault, he continued barely blocking me.

Suddenly he sparta kicked me, winding me and forcing me back before he smacked the flat of his sword against my face, knocking me down. "Looks like this is where you fall." Watts mocked.

"Boo." a familiar voice said from behind him. Suddenly, a sickle blade attached to a chain wrapped around his sword-hand and pulled. "I caught a big one." We both looked to see Emerald grinning.

"Oh great, you're alive now?" Watts groaned.

"Yeah, thanks to some help from a sweet little kitten." Emerald replied. "Guess she found some sort of revival item during one of her dungeon runs and never bothered using it until now." She smiled softly at me, which I returned with my own relieved one before we both smirked. I looked behind me to see everyone had finished with the bots, grinning as they came up next to me.

"You underestimated my subordinate, and my allies. That'll cost you." I declared, picking up my sword. "I'll see you in hell, bastard." I promised, thrusting it through his chest.

"Damn you Black Cat! Damn you Cinder!" he shouted before my blade slid in. "A plague on both your houses." he whispered. "A plague on your houses, may you suffer greatly before death." he whispered, falling forward, dead.

"And then there were two." Allie muttered, coming over to Emerald. "Any discomfort?" she asked her. The mint-haired thief shook her head. "Guess it worked pretty well."

"I'm just glad we got that SAO revival item rip-off." Tara added, checking on Kya. "She's fine." she called. Looks like we were all fine.

Good. "Emerald." I called, back to my normal self as I approached. She looked nervous, not meeting my gaze. "You're really alright?" I asked. She nodded, and I let out a quiet sigh of relief. "Did you mean what you said? When all is said and done?" I asked. Emerald blushed bright red, but still nodded. I smiled. "Good." I said, closing the distance and kissing her hungrily. I felt her stiffen in shock, but she soon returned my kiss. After a few seconds, we broke apart and Allie passed us, shaking Kya awake. "Allie!" I called, catching her attention. "Thank you."

The catgirl smiled. "No prob, Cinder. Nya~" she replied.

Kya stirred awake, and our mission was soon complete.

Allie's POV

We all met in front of Atlas Academy, since Winter didn't have a Key and I didn't have any spares made up. "What's the damage?" I asked.

"A few civilians, some Atlas Knights, and a lot of grimm." Qrow replied, taking a sip from his flask. "Certainly a better outcome than I expected."

"Indeed." Winter agreed. "And I hear I can credit that to you?"

I chuckled. "I may have put those things together, but it's my friends who used em, so the credit goes more to them. Nya~" I replied. Got to give the girl credit, she didn't even bat an eye despite the fact this was the first time we'd met. "Alright. I've got the relic in the Vault. From here we need to split up." the gang looked apprehensive.

"Shouldn't we stick together?" Juane asked.

"I'd love to, but there's too much ground to cover." I replied. "We still need to secure Summer and the relic in Vacuo, as well as finding the Vault in Beacon. That'll limit Salem's targets to Key holders. And we need an army."

"Why?" Oscar asked.

"To storm the fortress." I replied. "Once we have the relics, we're gonna take the fight to Salem."

 _ **And done! I said I took inspiration from DxD, did you think I wouldn't play the scene out fully? Come on! Other than that, what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Not enough? Leave a review with your thoughts and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	76. Assembling the Army

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

It took a night of debating, but we eventually decided that RWBY and JNPR would head to Vacuo to meet with SSSN and CFVY and get the relic under Shade Academy. Qrow and, after getting Ironwood's approval, Winter and Penny would go with the Fall Trio to find the relic in Beacon. Meanwhile, ANTI and Oscar would set to work rallying the troops, for lack of a better term.

"Alright, Ironwood already promised aid when we storm Salem's castle. Now we just need to meet with Sienna Khan." I informed, checking my notifications. "Yes, it's back online!" I giggled. Turning to my team, I smiled widely and declared, "The bug in the Gate is fixed! Everyone, move out!"

"Right!" my teammates replied, saluting before we all burst into giggles at the display.

...

The White Fang guard opened the door, allowing us into the throne room. "I see the repairs went well." I greeted, surveying the room.

"Yes, your FIX Loaders were very helpful in that regard." Sienna replied. "To what do I owe this unexpected visit?"

"Well, I was wondering if I could bug you guys to help us save the world." I replied.

Sienna's ears flicked in interest. "I'm listening."

"My friends, the Atlas Military, and some wicked-powerful machines I put together are going to storm the fortress of the being that controls the grimm." I explained. "Now I want to make it clear that this won't destroy the grimm in their entirety, but it will make them very easy to handle. And if you were to willingly cooperate with the Atlas military, it would improve your image more than anything else in even the eyes of the Atlas snobs."

"And?" Sienna asked dryly.

"And the bitch Adam was taking orders from when he went rogue is there." I finished. "Well, the one who was giving that flaming maniac orders. But said maniac flipped to our side, so I'm gonna have to ask you not kill her."

Sienna laughed loudly, and I honestly thought she'd say no. "You come up with the most interesting ideas, Allison N Rouge." She declared. "Very well, when the time comes, the White Fang will back you in destroying this Grimm Queen." I grinned widely, thanking her before giving a date and location.

Two weeks passed filled with training and work on weapons and robots, as well as devoting some time to the future of both me and my friends, Team RWBY, CFVY, SSSN, and JNPR came through the portal, battered and nearly broken. "The relic?" I asked, already knowing the answer.

"Crimson led the charge with the Summer Maiden at his side, there was nothing we could do." Ruby replied.

I cursed under my breath. "It's fine. We can get that relic later." I replied. "For now, get to Zed's. You all look like you need some medical attention." The teams nodded, leaving me at the front of the city.

The next day, the Fall Trio, Penny, Qrow, and Winter arrived with the relic in hand. I grinned slipping it into the Inner Sanctum. In another week, all of us stood in view of Salem's castle. In the next, the White Fang and Ironwood's army arrived, as well as Team FNKI, eager for revenge. The team leaders, Qrow, Winter, Ironwood, and Sienna stood next to me as we looked over the seemingly endless sea of grimm. "This is insane." Qrow declared.

"If you want to leave, no one will blame you." I replied.

"I know." Qrow shrugged, taking a sip from his flask. "So when do we start?"

 _ **And done! We start the final assault soon, promise. I want to finish this and move onto its sequel. I've been planning it since about the end of the first quarter of this thing, and I'm eager to start. So, leave a review with your thoughts, and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	77. Storming the Castle

_**Time to storm the keep.**_

 _ **Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

We returned to our army, and I looked over them. So many people. Faunus, humans, even robots. They were all here. They were all ready to fight. I used **Modification** on my voice and took a deep breath. "Hello everyone." I greeted at almost ten times my normal volume. "Some of you know who I am, some of you don't. I imagine some of you don't even know why exactly you're here. Well, you're here, human and faunus together, because behind me, over these hills, is a grimm horde the size of which none of us have ever seen before. And inside it, is the woman responisble for the loss of life in these past few months." Disbelieving shouts came, but I kept talking. "I know how it sounds! Trust me, I know how it sounds. But it's true. The woman responsible for the Fall of Beacon, the attack of Haven, the Atlas Bombing. The woman who ordered those attacks are in that castle. She thinks we deserve nothing but to be sweapt away. And we're here to show her that we won't go down that easily!" A resounding cheer met me, and I smiled.

"Now I'm not going to lie, I don't know if all of us are going to come back alive. If you want to leave, I'll personally send you back to your home. No one would blame you. But if you want to stay, know that you are risking everything. If you go into this battle, you must be ready to face evil itself as we progress toward the castle. So what will it be? Are we going to go quietly into the night?" I asked.

"NO!" the army shouted back.

"Are we going to vanish from this world without a fight?" I demanded.

"NO!" they repeated.

"That's right! We're going to fight! We're going to survive! And we're going down in history as the army that forever crippled the creatures of grimm!" A cheer met me, and I smiled. "This is the day we've waited for! We've lived in fear long enough, now it's their turn!" The army descended into a mad chant, and I turned to the leaders. "Press to the castle, but if Crimson shows up, pull back and call me." I ordered.

"You can't be serious! Surely one man cannot stop an army of this size!" Ironwood argued.

"You see Crimson, you pull the fuck back!" I snarled. "I can handle him. You can't." Ironwood gaped at me, eventually nodding.

...

I stood looking over the grimm horde with Neo at my side. "Looks hopeless, doesn't it?" I asked.

' _We've delt with worse.'_ she replied.

"Neo, I need to talk to you before we start this battle." I sighed.

' _Tell me to stay behind, I will kill you.'_ she threatened.

I laughed. "Yeah right! I need you out there watching my crazy ass!" I replied before becoming serious. "I want you to promise me that you'll be careful. I don't want to lose you."

Neo rolled her eyes at me. ' _You won't lose me, but if it'll make you feel better, then I promise.'_ I hugged her close to me, kissing her deeply. Hopefully not for the last time. We seperated as Sienna and Ironwood approached.

"You did as I asked?" I questioned. Both leaders nodded and I looked back over the grimm. "Good. We need every advantage we can get. I just wish I could have made more."

"You made plenty." Sienna assured me, coming to my left side. "We'll win, and in the end, we'll all get what we want."

"Indeed." Ironwood agreed, coming to stand on my right. "Let us bring an end to the greatest threat to all of Remnant."

I gave a feral grin. "Let's start the party." I shouted, leaping from the cliff. "Opening the Vault! Deploy Lancelot!" I fell into my knightmare's cockpit and charged at the horde. I heard the hum of the Vault opening and my creations taking to the battlefield. I slashed my sword through the first few grimm, cutting them down before being joined by Neo's Gundam.

Tara's POV

I was running down the hill with JNPR when Nora leaped into the fray with Magnhild. "Smash!" she shouted, bringing the hammer down with plenty of force. Juane started firing the minigun on his AST exo, and Ren had vanished with the Decepti0n device before appearing again. All around me, various inventions were used. The exo-suits given to the Atlas Military were cutting through the enemy ranks, the ECHOs given to the White Fang let them summon weapons practically as they were knocked from their hands.

Not to mention..."Sentry Deployed!" One of the White Fang lieutenants called, throwing what looked like a box but, when it popped open to reveal a military-grade turret complete with missile pods.

"Robot fighting time!" Another called, and a floating robot torso flew through the air, slashing with energy-weapon claws. Yeah, Allie gave the higher-ups Action Skills. I speared an ursa, swinging it into a beowolf before it dissolved and shooting that grimm before I saw nevermores and those flying beringels in the air. "They've got air support." I warned over the com system Allie and Ironwood collaborated on for the army.

"On it." came Penny's reply. I saw bullets fill the air, which means Coco heard me too, but the real fun was when the green beams of energy split the sky.

"This is the northern vanguard! We're getting swarmed by chimeras! If there's anyone available, we need help!" Came a voice I didn't recognise. Atlesian by the accent.

"Eastern Rearguard! We're surrounded by deathstalkers! Requesting immediate backup!" a White Fang grunt called.

"Watch your eyes." Came Cinder's smug voice. Since I was fairly close to the northern vanguard, I did as instructed and shielded my eyes. It kept me from seeing spots as a fireball slammed down nearby.

"I'm freezing them out!" Kya called, and I imagine the area around the east just became very cold. I wonder how things are going for the others.

Ruby's POV

I fired another round into the head of a beowolf, using the recoil to backpedal into a king taiju. I considered summoning one of the robots from the Vault, but Allie was pretty sure the bigger stuff would be closer to the castle. I wanted to save it for an emergency. I heard a loud bang, and looked to see Yang punching a creep, then kicking a beowolf away and smashing her fist into its gut. She was fine. We had all spread out through the area to ensure the least friendly casualties. An iceberg formed a few feet away. I wondered if that was Weiss or Kya? Nope, Weiss. She's been getting into this habit of summoning her knight from a glacier and said knight just popped out of said glacier.

"It does look cool." I muttered, slicing a boaratusk as it spun at me. My next opponent was a deathstalker, but that was way easier than back during initiation day. For one thing, we were all stronger. For another, Crescent Rose can cut a hole in space. No seriously, Allie added that to my baby recently. It was awesome. I cut a rift as it tried to sting me, causing it to be sucked in before the rift repaired itself. "How are we doing, team?" I asked.

"All good here." Weiss replied.

"Still alive." Blake reported.

"Kickin ass and taking names!" That was Yang. We seemed to be doing rather well.

Neo's POV

Damn it, there were too many of these bastards! I kicked away a beowolf trying to gnaw its way through my leg before slashing another and firing my rifle. And I didn't see the king taiju until Allie cut one of its heads off. "We're halfway though. Don't crap out on me now." she encouraged. I smirked as I continued handling my portion of the grimm. Bloodlust swam in my head, and I grinned as I put my sword through yet another grimm.

That was when we started to feel the ground shake.

I looked at my radar and saw something big approaching. "Oh, you cannot be serious." I heard Allie groan over the intercom. "Neo, with me. The rest of you steer clear. This asshole is a two-person job." I looked up at our target. And up. And up. And up. Oh great, Crimson summoned a Lyoko Kolossus.

Ilia's POV

I saw the giant monster approach the battlefield, and I was glad Allie told me to steer clear. I knew how to take out Lyoko monsters, they had a big freaking target on their faces, but I couldn't climb that high. I spun with Rainbow Fang in whip mode, the resulting steel swirl butchering anything that was caught in its path. I had to cut my way back to the rest of my squadron. We had gotten separated in the chaos, and I was not going to have their deaths on my conscious, even if more than half of them are Atlas troops. Huh, you wouldn't catch me thinking that before I was summoned to the throne room and met Allie. I smiled at the thought before snapping Rainbow Fang into sword mode and slicing through a grimm that had pinned down an Atlas troop.

"On your feet, we're not done yet." I ordered, hauling him to his feet.

"Yes Ma'am!" He saluted before firing at a creep that had almost snuck up on me. "Won't happen again." I rolled my eyes at the show off before cutting my way through more grimm.

Cinder's POV

Damn, they were everywhere. Allie and Ironwood had picked me and a few others to be snipers of sorts and positioning us and our guards around the battlefield. Of course, Emerald and Mercury were guarding me, which gave them plenty to do as the grimm took notice of me throwing fireballs to either save some poor soldier or let a few pull back while being overwhelmed. I knew Kya was in a different hill, but I couldn't make her out. And damn, these grimm were going to ruin my new dress! I incinerated the offending beowolf before turning to throw a firebolt into an ursa that had almost harmed my precious Emerald. She didn't seem to notice, but that was fine. She was busy with her own beringel, one without wings thankfully, and looked like she could use a hand.

Merc beat me to the punch, or kick I guess, and I heard a distress call from someone in my area. I threw a fireball to save the poor soul before going back to my own battle. But even as we continued this, I wondered how long I would hold out.

And then the battlefield was covered in silver.

Ruby's POV, five minutes earlier

They just kept coming! I needed a way to thin their ranks fast. Singularity grenades? No, not enough damage to take down these heavily armored things. The Firework? No, bad idea. Those things are too hard to aim in the first place, and I didn't want to risk blowing up my friends at the same time. "ARGH!" I heard someone near me grunt. I looked to see Yang getting back to her feet as two ursai charged her. She managed to block the swing of one, but the other managed to get a hit in on her. "Yang!" I shouted in worry, and I felt my eyes start to burn. That was it! I quickly focused and let the images of my friends, family, and even the allies I hadn't befriended yet. My eyes erupted and the world became silver.

When my vision cleared, I was relieved to see that there were noticeably fewer grimm. We might actually be able to win this!

Allie's POV

Damn this Kolossus was being a pain in the ass! I kept weaving around the blade arm since of course I told Neo to go for the face and I'd handle the target on the arm that doubled as the damned thing's sword. "Now!" I snapped, aiming my rifle and firing at the target. Neo fired at the same time, and I took great satisfaction in watching it fall to the ground, crushing a good portion of the grimm Ruby's eye trick didn't take out. "We're almost through! Anyone near the castle, keep pushing! The rest of you, watch our backs!" I called over the intercom, disengaging my Float system and landing heavily in the middle of the grimm hoard, running most of them down and cutting more out of the way.

It only took a couple minutes, but we managed to group up with Pyrrha, Juane, Team SSSN, and Ruby at the castle. Neo and I unsummoned our mechs and nodded at the rest before I felt something attacking from behind. And I guess Neptune got faster since I saw the hydrophobic teen since he stabbed the beowolf lunging at me before I could turn and draw. The rest of his team stood against the grimm. "Get going, we can hold them back." Sun ordered, grinning back at us.

"You die, Blake will probably kill you." I warned, nodding my appreciation as I led Neo, Ruby, Pyrrha, and Juane inside. Sun's laugh echoed our of the halls as the doors closed behind us.

 _ **And done! Wow, I think this might be the longest thing I wrote since the Fall of Beacon. Anyway, what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Not enough? Leave a review and I'll see everyone next time!**_


	78. The goal of Crimson Mist

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

All our weapons drawn, we proceeded through the castle with surprisingly little resistance. Guess Salem didn't think we'd get this far. Or she thinks Crimson and Summer can beat us. Probably that one. We went room by room, but it turned out to be a moot point when I noticed I was getting an enemy reading from a few rooms up. Crimson. I motioned everyone forward, and noticed that it was the only room with a staircase. Fantastic, so he's waiting for us at the only entrance to Salem's throne room.

As I pushed the door to the room open, Crimson sat on the steps, swinging his ring blade in a bored circle. He took notice of us and grinned. "Ah, there you are." he sighed in relief, standing. The five of us brandished our weapons. "Now now, none of that. I have no intention of fighting you."

"What?" I asked, officially confused. "Shouldn't you be defending Salem?"

"Probably, but she seems to be on the losing end, and she can no longer help me complete my own goal." the other Gamer replied with a shrug.

"Your goal?" Juane wondered.

"But of course. I'm a Gamer, and with enough levels, I can become the god of this world." Crimson explained in one of those insane villain voices. You know, when the nice guy suddenly starts revealing an evil plan? Yeah, imagine something like this.

"A god? That's your goal?" Ruby asked. "But you're still human!" Again Crimson laughed.

"Human? No, not in a long time." he replied, a dark aura beginning to surround him. "Though I guess god isn't an apt description either. No, I know what to call myself." he said, brandishing his own weapon. "I am the Demon Lord, Crimson Mist. And I will rule this world!" he cackled.

"Don't you mean 'we' dear?" came a sultry voice that caused me to freeze. It couldn't be. It couldn't. But as a young woman maybe as tall as Cinder with a long black ponytail, dressed in the familiar purple leather armor I had seen so many times when we gamed together, and those deep amythest eyes. It was her.

"Big sister." I gasped.

She smiled at me. "Hello Rachel." she greeted me.

"I-I don't understand." I stammered, my sword hand shaking. "Connie, why are you here? With him?"

Connie laughed. "Aren't you in a similar situation to me? After all, you brought your fiancee with you." My disbelief intensified when she draped herself over Crimson. "Granted Crimson and I haven't reached that point, but we'll get there."

"No, no, this can't be right. Ignoring this whole relationship that doesn't make sense, the only ones here should be Crimson, Salem, and-" the smug look was all I needed. "The Summer Maiden. Connie, tell me you didn't."

"Of course not! I'm not a monster." Connie laughed. "Crimson did the killing, I just made sure I was the last person in her thoughts. It was a rather easy manipulation. I'm sure you can relate, Rachel."

"Don't call me that!" I spat. "My name is Allison N Rouge!"

Connie just laughed again. "You'll always be Rachel to me, little sister. But I think that's enough talk. Crimson and I must be going, isn't that right, dear?"

"Yes indeed, love." Crimson replied, kissing her forehead. "Until next time, little cat." he taunted me, pulling out what looked like some sort of box. "Gate of Babylon." And they were gone.

I just stood there. After finding out my sister was alive, and in Remnant, I discover she's working with my twisted counterpart, and if the way she acted was any indication she was enjoying every second. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to see Neo's worried eyes looking back. "I'm alright." I assured. "I just need a minute to process this." Neo nodded, gesturing for the rest to go on without us.

Neo's POV

I didn't know what to do, so I just remained by my fiancee's side as she processed that the sister she thought the world of was the enemy. Well, not anymore since she abandoned Salem with Crimson, but still, the way she acted. I wished I could say something, anything, to comfort Allie, but I couldn't. I couldn't speak, because my vocal chords didn't work. So I stood next to her, my hand on her shoulder to keep her grounded, my thumb rubbing the underside of my engagement ring on my other hand.

"I'm alright." Allie said after a while. She looked at me, and I saw no more of the shock and horror that had been in her eyes before. "Let's end this." she said, determined. I nodded, and we climbed the stairs after our friends.

Tara's POV

The ranks were thinned considerably, but that didn't mean we were out of danger yet. I threw a wind gust to knock a beowolf away from a downed White Fang and electrocuted an ursa who was coming up on me. "Tara, look out!" I heard Oscar scream. I turned in time to see the saber before it knocked me to the ground. Oscar appeared in the next second, slapping it away with his cane. "You alright?" he asked, planting the weapon into the grimm's mouth to stop himself from being bitten by his opponent.

"Fine, thanks." I replied, getting back to my feet and spearing the grimm, killing it instantly. "We've almost got them, let's end this." I suggested, spotting Qrow and Winter double-teaming a group of ursai. Oscar and I raced to their aid.

Allie's POV

I stood in front of the door to the throne room. This was it. The final boss. Now I just needed a plan to keep her still enough to petrify her. Maybe that could work. "Alright gang, here's the plan." I outlined.

...

We entered the throne room, and Salem stood at the center, regarding us coldly. "Well well well. If it isn't the girl who's been mucking up my plans for over a year now." she greeted. "You've given me quite the headache."

"I aim to please. Nya~" I replied sarcastically, drawing Sekiryuki. "And you know the best part? With the three relics in the Inner Sanctum of my Vault, you have no chance of getting to them." I added.

"Indeed." Salem replied indifferently. "Well then, the least I can do is kill you to keep the relics from being used against me." an inhuman screech filled the room, shattering the glass and making us all cover our ears.

 **Salem: The Immortal Witch**

 **HP:?/?**

I recovered surprisingly fast, all things considered, as I jumped out of the way of the grimm arms trying to grab me. "Alright then, Salem. I'll show you how a Gamer fights." I promised, rushing her with my friends at my back.

 _ **And done! Sorry all, but I ain't nice enough to post the boss fight in the same chapter as when it starts. Other than that, what did people think? I know someone out there has something to say about Crimson and Connie, so let me have it, as well as your thoughts on the chapter as a whole. Anyway, leave a review and I'll see you all next time!**_


	79. Battle in the Throne Room

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

I flipped over the first blast of dark energy and decided to fight fire with fire. "Cat Party Blaster!" I shouted, unleashing my favorite magic. Thousands of tails went for the witch, and were blocked by grimm arms just as they were about to reach her. I landed and skirted around the arm wall, hand on Sekiryuki. "Sword Stance, Swallow Tail." I decided, changing my grip and slashing at her.

"Spirit Spear Chastiefol crossover configuration: Increase Basilisk." I heard Pyrrha call. Crossover configuration? I didn't teach her that. Hell, I didn't think that was possible! But, thousands of dagger-sized Basilisk configurations filled the air as I was forced back by another blast of energy. The blades cut Salem, and for a moment I thought that might have been it.

But even I'm not that lucky. "Do you honestly think such weak magic can stop me?" Salem mocked, easily overriding the petrification. Okay, so that plan didn't work. Maybe Ruby would have better luck? And that's when grimm started spawning right in the throne room. Shit.

"Take them out!" I ordered, slashing a saber that had gotten too close for comfort. Salem grinned as she watched us struggle, but it was Neo who actually got her attention as the witch kinda grew a throat spike. "Nice one, love." I complimented as Juane killed the last one. Ruby made the next move, using the spacial tear to try to take Salem out. But...no dice. She just stood there, unamused until the rift mended itself and Salem backhanded the reaper away.

"Ruby!" Juane called in worry.

"I'm fine!" Ruby assured, standing back up. "Alright then, plan B." she muttered, and closed her eyes.

"Oh no you don't!" Salem shrieked, firing a volley of dark bolts at the reaper. Juane was there in the next instant, shield at the ready. But it couldn't cover everywhere that the bolts were flying. As one struck above Ruby, knocking a section of wall out, I ran to destroy the falling slab.

"Second Configuration, Guardian!" Pyrrha shouted, the giant green pillow catching the rubble and tossing it aside. I am really glad I gave her that.

Salem attacked again, and I knew just Sekiryuki wouldn't be enough to block them all. "Sword Stance, Gilded Thorn." I muttered, unclipping the sheathe and doing what I could to block the energy bolts. "That the best you got?" I taunted, trying to keep her attention on me. Grimm arms attempted to grab me, and I jumped out of the way. "Seriously, show some originality." I complained, activating my magic. "Sky Blade!" I shouted, cutting the air with my wind-charged weapon. The blast caused Salem to stagger, and Ruby was ready.

"Good-bye, Salem." Ruby whispered, her eyes opening. The room flooded with silver. It took a minute to die down, but to my surprise, and utter delight, Salem stood turned to stone.

Then the stone began cracking. Okay, that was bad. Salem burst free and snarled. "Enough of this!" she snapped, a golden sword appearing from a pool of darkness. Shit, the last relic. The one Crimson and Connie got her. "Now you'll fall to the very relic you sought!" she screamed, charging the blade with her own power. A dark wave slammed into us as she swung, and to my horror, one of our Keys rolled into plain view. Salem regarded the stone cone-like object with interest. "So this is the Key you're so fond of. Now what was the wording? Oh yes, I open the Path to Sanctuary."

How did she? Crimson. He must have heard me use the Key. The Path opened, and Salem gave me a smug grin as she stepped through. I staggered to my feet, seeing my aura had broken with that last attack and my HP took a big hit, and tapped my com. "Guys, pull out. We've got a problem."

"What do you mean?" Qrow asked.

"Salem is Sanctuary."

...

After managing to pull all our troops out of the battle, surprisingly only three lives were lost, the rest were robots from Atlas, I stood in front of Qrow and Ironwood, holding Neo up as she had gotten hit for the first time in years. "How did Salem get a Key?" Qrow demanded.

"The force of the wave knocked one loose from, I guess it was Juane's, pocket." I explained. "It's fine. It's not like Salem can get to the Inner Sanctum without my help."

"What do you mean?" Ironwood asked.

Neo seemed to remember, as she grinned along with me. "Because anything that fights its way to the Tenth ring of the Vault is in for a real _bad time._ _"_ I giggled. "We have plenty of time to catch up. I'll take RWBY, JNPR, and the Fall Trio with my own team. The rest of you focus on getting home safely. I have a feeling we're not out of the woods yet."

"I'm coming too." I looked over to see Oscar, approaching us.

"Oscar, that's a bad idea." I cautioned.

"No," Oscar replied. But something was different about his voice. "This all began because of me. It's only right I be there when it ends."

"Ozpin." Ironwood gasped.

"Finally decided to show your face, old man?" I asked dryly. "Haven't seen you since way back on the train."

"Yes, well I felt I couldn't stand by any longer, despite any misgivings you all have of me." Ozpin replied. I shrugged, checking Neo's condition.

 _'I'm fine, Allie. I'm a big girl.'_ Neo assured with an eye roll. I smiled, kissing her forehead before turning back to Oz.

"Fine, but we do this my way." I bargained.

"Very well. Your way did get us this far after all." Oz replied amicably. The three of us left to gather our friends. Win or lose, this ends today.

 _ **And done! I meant it when I said this ends today. I'll be working for as long as possible to bring this story to a close. And I want to just say thank you to everyone who's stuck it out this long. So, what did you guys think? Good? Bad? Not nearly enough? Leave a review and I'll see everyone soon.**_


	80. End of the Witch

_**Darkness and Light, Into the Chaos!**_

RWBY, JNPR, the Fall Trio, Penny, Oscar and ANTI all stood on the deck of one of the Atlas ships we had used to evacuate the battleground. "Everyone ready?" I asked. They nodded, and I closed my eyes, taking a deep breath. "I Open the Path to Sanctuary." I whispered, and the portal opened. We stepped into the city, and proceeded to Marcus' Munitions, where the entrance to the Vault lay. "This is it everyone." I called, activating passive mode for the raid group. "Win or lose, this ends today. For our family, for our future, for our world!" My friends cheered behind me, and we entered the first ring of the vault.

...

The first two hadn't been an issue in the slightest. The Infested Woods and Three Horns Divide was easy to pass through, though I did enjoy Cinder's expression when we met Thrall in the woods. The third had gotten a little hairy when Ren almost attacked the nuckelavee that served as the floor boss, but we made it through easily enough. We kinda had to pull Ruby along as she gawked at the robots in the Friendship Gulag, especially the W4RD-N. I get it, constructors are cool, but we did have a job to do, Red!

We ended up in the Ice sector of Lyoko, the fifth ring, and had to navagate to Sector 5 before we could progress, which honestly made this ring almost as hard to get through as Anima if you didn't know exactly where to go. The Seventh Ring was hotter than hell, but Hero's Pass was kind of in a volcano, so I guess it made sense. And I think I heard Yang swear to come back and punch the Warrior in the face, but I was more focused on the fact we were almost there. Vorago Solitude was next, and again we had to pull Ruby along as she marveled at the weapons of the Guardians and Lost Legion forces. Finally, we were at the Ninth ring, The Atlas Blockade in front of the Destroyer's Vault. Thankfully we were in passive, so it wasn't too hard to get past the hentai monster reject and into the Tenth Ring. And of course, Salem was fighting its boss as Megalovania filled our ears.

I grinned as I watched the hoodie-wearing skeleton in pink fuzzy slippers dodge around one of Salem's blasts. "Is that who I think it is?" Ilia asked dryly.

"Yep!" I chirped.

"Only you, boss." Tara sighed, putting her face in her hands. "So what do we do when Sans runs out of energy?"

"He won't." I replied. "I gave him Slippers of Infinite Stamina. He can literally go on forever without tiring in the slightest." I explained, causing everyone to facepalm.

"You made the hardest boss in Undertale literally unbeatable." Ren asked.

"Yep! Told you nothing gets past this ring without my say-so." I grinned proudly, "But what do you say we give Salem an even worse time?" I suggested, placing a hand on Sekiryuki. I checked my HUD, just in case.

 **The clock of the Gods**

 **Find Salem(X)**

 **End this()**

I grinned, as I drew. "Sword Stance, Arturia." I muttered, changing my grip. "ANTI, take her out!" I ordered. We all lunged for her, eager for the kill. Sans threw bones to keep Salem's attention away from us until I slashed her across the back. "Heya, did you miss me?"

"Yes, but my aim's been getting better." Salem replied throwing an energy bolt into me. Damn, that was a good one.

"Hey, that's my thing!" Yang complained, throwing a shotgun-powered punch into Salem's face.

"Quit complaining, you'll have plenty of chances to fail at making puns when this is over." Weiss chided, using her glyphs to freeze Salem in place.

"They're not all failures." Ilia protested, slashing Salem with her Rainbow Fang and leaving a deep gash across the witch's neck.

"You only say that cause she's your girlfriend." Blake pointed out dryly, doing the same as her friend. But Salem regenerated the damage and broke free of the ice.

"Crap." Ruby muttered, firing Crescent Rose at Salem. And she still has my singularity rounds. Salem stumbled from the implosion of the bullet.

Neo and Tara attacked next, Sans throwing up some blue bones to keep Salem from moving while Tara threw a wind gust and Neo stabbed Salem through where I guess her heart probably was.

JNPR attacked as one, Juane swinging Crocea Mors, Pyrrha lunging with Chastiefol in her hands, Nora bringing down Magnhild, and Ren bringing up Stormflower.

And that seemed to piss her off. "Enough of this!" She screamed a wave of energy knocking us all back. Only Neo and Sans managed to avoid damage. "Open the path to the relics or I swear I will end every last one of you!" she demanded.

"Okay." I replied.

"What?" Yang demanded.

"Allie, you can't be serious!" Blake snapped at me. I saw Neo smirking. She knew what was going on.

"What?" Sans asked innocently, "The boss has got a point. She's just gonna kill us eventually, and if she gets the relics the world is doomed anyway. So why prolong the inevitable?" he raised a magic covered hand and the portal opened. "Just head right through."

Salem looked at the two of us. "Are you serious right now?" she asked warily.

I nod. "Yep." I chirp. "Like the skelly said, you'll just get us eventually, then the world. Nya~"

"Miss Rouge, you must stop this foolish path at once!" Ozpin demanded.

I glared at the wizard. "Why should I listen to you when you never once listened to me?" I questioned angrily. Low blow, but I was still bitter about that. Salem began walking towards Sans' portal cautiously. She got closer and closer and with every step, her stride became more confident. When she was just a touch away from the portal, Sans and I smirked.

Anyone who's seen the boss battle on Undertale can tell you what happened next.

Bones pierced Salem from every angle imaginable as my Tiger Tail Trap squeezed her tighter and tighter. Ruby's mouth was gaping, Weiss' grip slackened on her rapier, Neo was silently laughing, Yang and Blake actually laughing, and as Ozpin/Oscar, Penny, and JNPR just stared on, Sans and I called the best troll phrase of all time.

"GEEEEEEET DUNKED ON!"

I laughed as I approached the thrashing witch. "I'll end you! I'll kill everyone you love, starting with that damned mute!" she swore. I put Sekiryuki through her throat, shutting her up as I searched my inventory.

"Now where did I put it?" I wondered. "Ah! Here it is!" I grinned, summoning the Medusa head I had gotten a week ago, "Sans, Neo, could you make sure our dear Salem's eyes don't close?" I requested.

Neo nodded and Sans replied with a "Sure boss." as one used a small bone to prop open the witch's eyelid while the other just held it open. Both had their own eyes closed.

"Get away! Get the fuck away from me!" Salem demanded as I approached.

"Hmmmm. Nope!" I replied, opening the eyes and holding them in front of my victim. "Not even you can escape the mystic eyes, dear Salem. On the bright side, you'll get to be with your precious relics...forever." I grinned as I pulled Sekiryuki from her throat.

"I'll end you! I'll burn you to ash and dance on your graves!" Salem swore even as she began to turn to stone. She continued to throw threats until she was completely encased.

"Now you'll see the relics forever, never able to touch them, never able to take another step forward ever again." I said sadly, using my spell to lift her and place her in the Inner Sanctum, her eternal prison.

Two years later

I smiled as I stood at the altar, waiting for my bride. It had taken years to get this far, but I was finally about to do it. I know most couples feel nervous at this point, ready to bolt, but I just felt happy. Music began playing, and I looked down the aisle as Roman led Neo toward me. My smile widened, she was so beautiful. Roman handed her off, and the ceremony began. There wasn't anything all that special, though Neo did strain herself for her "I do." and when the priest said I could kiss the bride, I wasted no time closing the distance.

...

The banquet was in full swing, with all my friends, my family, enjoying themselves, but I couldn't get into it after a while, and went out to the balcony. "Well this is a surprise." I heard someone behind me. I looked back to see Pyrrha leaning against the door. She came to stand next to me, looking out at the starry night. "Can't believe it's been two years." she admitted.

"Me neither." I replied, smiling.

"And it's finally over." Pyrrha added.

My smile fell. "No it's not." I declared. Pyrrha looked at me and I explained, "Crimson and Connie are still out there. You heard them, they intend to become the gods of this world. Or Demon Lords. And when they resurface, we need to be ready."

Pyrrha nodded somberly. Then she smiled. "But that's for tomorrow. Tonight your friends want to celebrate with you." she declared, pulling me back inside. I laughed. She was right, Crimson may be out there, but that was a problem for tomorrow.

Right now, I was a married woman and I should be celebrating.

 _ **And done! Wow, eighty chapters and I'm finally done. Feels weird. Well, thanks for sticking it out with me everyone. I'll be posting the trailers for my sequel before too long, but for now, this story is done. So what did you think? Good? Bad? Not enough? Leave a review with your thoughts, and I'll see everyone around.**_


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